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REPRESENTATION 

OF  THE 

HEART  OF  MAN 

IN  ITS  DEPRAVED  STATE  BY  NATURE, 

AND  THE 

CHANGES    WHICH   IT    EXPERIENCES    UNDER  THB 
INFLUENCES   OF 

THE  SPIRIT  OF  GOD 

OPERATING  UPON  IT* 

TO  WHICH  AKB  ADDED, 

DIRECTIONS  FOR  KEEPING  THE  HEART. 


"Ask,  and  it  shallbe  given  you ;  seek,  and  ye  shall  find ;  knock,  and  It  9haII 
be  opened  unto  you."    Matt.  vii.  7. 

"Keep  thy  heart  with  all  diligence,  for  out  of  It  are  the  issues  of  Dfe.w 
Prov.  iv.  23. 


TENTH    EDITION. 

NEW-YORK: 

PUBLISHED  BY  NAFIS  &  CORNISH, 
ST.  LOUIS,  (MO.,)  NAFIS,  CORNISH  &  CO. 


Emtkrbd,  according  to  the  Act  of  Congress,  November  6th,  in  the  year  183 
by  Pbtkr  D.  Myers,  in  the  Clerk's  office  of  the  District  Court  of  the'Southen 
VtotrlctofNewYork. 


PREFACE.  N 


The  Publisher,  encouraged  by  the  favourable  re- 
ception and  the  rapid  sale  of  the  last  edition  of  this 
work,  has  been  induced  to  offer  a  second  edition  with 
some  additions,  revised  and  corrected.  And  as  the 
present  is  a  time  when  the  Christian  world  is  alive 
to  every  sentiment  of  humanity,  and  all  striving 
to  throw  in  their  mite  into  the  treasury,  in  order  that 
the  grand  object,  the  salvation  of  the  souls  of  men, 
may  be  effected,  he  feels  a  consciousness,  that  in 
presenting  this  little  work  to  the  public,  he  is  offering 
something,  although  small  yet  substantial  and  weL 
calculated,  if  read  with  serious  attention,  to  stir  up 
the  una  wakened  soul  to  a  sense  of  his  depraved 
situation,  and  to  beget  a  spirit  of  inquiry  in  the 
mind,  which  may  lead  the  inquiring  soul  to  open 
his  lips  in  prayer,  and  press  his  suit  at  a  throne  of 
grace — believe,  and  enter  into  the  joy  of  his  Lord. 
A  general  outline  of  the  contents  cannot  be  better 
described,  than  by  the  following  quotation  from 
Bunyan : 

This  book,  it  chalketh  out  before  thine  eyes 
The  man  that  seeks  the  everlasting  prize  : 


4  PREFACE. 

It  shows  you  whence  he  comes,  whither  he  goes ; 
What  he  leaves  undone  ;  also  what  he  does : 
It  shows  you  how  he  runs,  and  runs, 
Till  he  unto  the  gate  of  glory  comes. 

It  shows,  too,  who  set  out  foj  life  amain, 
As  if  the  lasting  crown  they  would  obtain  : 
Here  also  you  may  see  the  reason  why 
They  lose  their  labour,  and  like  fools  do  die. 

This  book  will  make  a  traveller  of  thee, 
If  by  its  counsel  thou  wilt  ruled  be; 
It  will  direct  thee  to  the  holy  land, 
If  thou  wilt  its  directions  understand : 
Yea,  it  will  make  the  slothful  active  be  j 
The  blind  also  delightful  things  to  see. 

Peter  D.  Myers, 


REPRESENTATION,   <fcc. 


FIGURE  I. 

Picture  of  the  heart  of  ay  er  son  dead  in  trespasses  and  si?is, 
and  who  suffers  satan  to  reign  in  him. 

You  see  in  this  heart  several  figures  representing 
the  evil  propensities  of  fallen  man. 

1.  The  Peacock  is  represented  as  spreading  his 
tail  of  variegated  colours,  and  denotes  that  hateful 
and  killing  sin  Pride,  which  shows  its  appearance  in 
various  ways,  and  leads  us  on  to  destruction  and 
death. 

2.  The  Goat,  being  an  unruly  and  bad  smelling 
animal  represents  the  licentiousness,  and  impurity  of 
the  unregenerated  heart  of  man. 

3.  The  Hog,  being  an  animal  fond  of  filth,  is  to 
represent  drunkenness,  gluttony,  and  dissipation  of 
every  kind. 

4.  The  Toad,  is  to  represent  a  low  and  earthly 
mind,  covetous  of  this  world's  good,  keeps  close  to 
the  earth,  and  is  never  satisfied. 

5.  The  Serpent,  is  to  represent  deceit,  lying,  and 
envy,  seeking  to  supplant  and  ruin  others,  if  more 
prosperous  than  ourselves. 

6.  The  Tiger,  is  to  represent  anger,  unkindness, 
any  temper  contrary  to  love. 

7.  The  Turtle,  is  to  represent  idleness,  and  sloth, 
a  low  grovelling  mind,  earthly  and  sensual. 

The  guardian  angel  is  watching  over  the  sinner 
for  good.  The  Dove,  signifying  the  Holy  Spirit,  is 
hovering  round,  but  finds  no  entrance  in  his  heart, 

1* 


6  REPRESENTATION    OF 

because  he  is  blinded  by  the  Devil,  and  led  captive  at 
his  will. 

The  eye  represents  the  mind,  which  is  closed  ;  it 
does  not  see  the  light  of  life,  all  is  dark,  and  obscure 
to  the  natural  man, — as  our  Saviour  has  said,  The 
light  of  the  body  is  the  eye  :  if  therefore  thine  eye  be 
single,  thy  whole  body  shall  be  full  of  light.  But  if 
thine  eye  be  evil,  thy  whole  body  shall  be  full  of  dark- 
ness :  if  therefore  the  light  that,  is  in  thee  be  dark- 
ness, how  great  is  that  darkness  ?  The  eye  may  also 
mean  the  understanding  as  Paul  has  it,  Eph.  iv.  18. 
Having  the  understanding  darkened,  being  alienated 
from  the  life  of  God,  by  the  ignorance  that  is  in  them 
through  the  hardness  of  their  hearts. 

By  the  fall  of  man  all  the  powers  of  nature  were 
depraved,  polluted,  and  corrupted.  1st.  The  under- 
standing was  darkened.  Eph.  iv.  18.  2d.  The  con- 
science defiled.  Heb.  x.  22.  3d.  The  will  obstinate  and 
rebellious.  Is.  xxviii.  14  ;  Rom.  viii.  7.  4th.  The  af- 
fections carnal  and  sensual.  Eph.  ii.  3.  5th.  All  the 
thoughts  uninterruptedly  evil.  Gen.  vi.  5.  6th.  And 
the  whole  mind,  or  heart,  a  nest  of  all  manner  of  abo- 
minations. Jer.  xvii.  9  ;  Matt.  xv.  19. 

"  Original  or  birth  sin  is  the  corruption  of  the  na- 
ture of  every  man  that  naturally  is  engendered  of  the 
offspring  of  Adam,  whereby  man  is  very  far  gone 
from  original  righteousness,  and  is  of  his  own  nature 
inclined  to  evil,  and  that  continually."  Deformed  as 
the  picture  is  that  is  here  drawn,  it  does  not  exceed 
in  the  darkness  of  its  shades  the  original  portrait,  as 
delineated  by  the  inspired  writers  in  general.  Moses, 
who  informs  that  God  created  man  in  his  own  im- 
age, and  after  his  likeness,  soon  casts  a  shade  on  his 
original  dignity  by  giving  us  a  sad  account  of  his  fall. 
He  represents  him,  after  his  defection  from  God,  as  a 
criminal  under  sentence  of  death, — a  wretch  filled 
with  guilt  and  shams,  and  dreading  the  presence  of 
his  Creator, — and  turned  out  of  Paradise  into  a  wih 


THE    HEART    OF    MAN.  7 

derness  which  bears  the  marks  of  desolation  for  his 
sake  ;  and  in  consequence  of  this  apostasy,  he  died, 
and  all  his  posterity  died  in  him. 

The  natural  consequence  of  this  is,  that  every  one 
descended  from  him,  comes  into  the  world  spiritually 
dead,  dead  to  God,  wholly  dead  in  sin  :  entirely  void 
of  the  life  of  God,  void  of  the  image  of  God,  of  all  that 
righteousness  and  holiness,  wherein  Adam  was  cre- 
ated. Instead  of  this,  every  man  born  into  the  world, 
now  bears  the  image  of  the  devil,  in  pride  and  self- 
will  ;  the  image  of  the  beast,  in  sensual  appetites  and 
desires.  While  a  man  is  in  a  mere  natural  state,  before 
he  is  born  of  God,  he  has,  in  a  spiritual  sense,  eyes 
and  sees  not :  a  thick  veil  lies  upon  them.  He  has 
ears,  but  hears  not ;  he  is  utterly  deaf  to  what  he  is 
most  of  all  concerned  to  hear.  His  other  spiritual 
senses  are  all  locked  up ;  he  is  in  the  same  condition 
as  if  he  had  them  not.  Hence  he  has  no  knowledge  of 
God,  no  intercourse  with  him ;  he  is  not  at  all  ac- 
quainted with  him.  He  has  no  true  knowledge  of  the 
things  of  God,  either  spiritual  or  eternal.  He  says 
unto  God,  depart  from  us  we  desire  not  the  know- 
ledge of  thy  ways  ;  we  do  not  want  to  know  much  of 
God,  nor  what  is  our  duty  to  him. 

The  state  of  nature  is  a  state  of  utter  darkness  ; 
a  state  wherein  "  darkness  covers  the  earth,  and  gross 
darkness  the  people."  The  poor  unawakened  sinner, 
how  much  knowledge  soever  he  may  have  as  to  other 
things,  has  no  knowledge  of  himself;  in  this  respect 
"  he  knoweth  nothing  yet  as  he  ought  to  know."  He 
knows  not  that  he  is  a  fallen  spirit,  whose  only  busi- 
ness in  the  present  world,  is  to  recover  from  his  fall, 
to  regain  that  image  of  God  wherein  he  was  created. 
He  sees  no  necessity  for  the  one  thing  needful,  even 
that  inward  universal  change,  that .  "  birth  from 
above,"  which  is  the  beginning  of  that  total  renova- 
tion ;  that  sanctirication  of  spirit,  soul,  and  body 
"  without  which  no  man  shall  see  the  Lord."     Full 


8  REPRESENTATION    OF 

of  all  disease  as  he  is,  he  fancies  himself  in  perfect 
health :  fast  bound  in  misery  and  iron,  he  dreams 
that  he  is  happy,  and  at  liberty.  He  says  "  Peace  ! 
Peace  !"  while  the  devil,  "  as  a  strong  man  armed," 
is  in  full  possession  of  his  soul.  He  sleeps  on  still, 
and  takes  his  rest,  though  hell  is  moved  from  beneath 
to  meet  him ;  though  the  pit,  from  whence  there  is  no 
return,  hath  opened  its  mouth  to  swallow  him  up  ;  a 
fire  is  kindled  around  him,  yet  he  knoweth  it  not , 
yea,  it  burns  him,  yet  he  lays  it  not  to  heart. 

Fearful  and  impious  work  do  the  passions  make 
when  they  are  engaged  on  the  side  of  the  flesh,  the 
world,  and  the  devil.  What  bold  contempt  of  God 
and  all  that  is  holy  !  What  unruly  violence  of  love 
to  vanity  and  sensual  pleasure  !  What  mad  delight 
in  sin  !  What  impetuous  desires  of  forbidden  objects  ! 
What  malice  boils  in  the  heart  against  our  neigh- 
bour, upon  every  supposed  injury !  What  wicked 
envy  frets  and  rages  in  the  soul  at  the  welfare  of 
others  !  What  wrath  and  indignation,  and  revenge, 
are  continually  ready  to  be  in  arms  !  and  how  do 
those  hellish  passions  employ  the  tongue  in  slander 
and  lies,  and  sometimes  imbrue  the  hands  in  mis- 
chief and  blood  ?  These  are  some  of  the  fruits  of  the 
carnal  mind  which  is  at  enmity  against  God,  and 
spring  from  the  heart  of  man  in  his  fallen  state. 
By  the  carnal  mind  we  understand  a  mind  that  is 
"  earthly,  sensual,  and  devilish."  It  is  earthly,  as  all 
its  tendency  and  propensities  are  to  the  earth,  and  to 
earthly  attachments  and  pursuits.  There  is  no  natu- 
ral disposition  in  such  a  mind  to  "  set  its  affections  on 
tilings  above."  It  is  sensual,  as  it  leads  to  the  grati 
fication  and  indulgence  of  all  the  senses  and  bodily 
appetites  ;  and  neither  desires  nor  relishes  spiritual 
things.  It  is  devilish,  because  it  includes  in  itself  a 
principle  of  pride  and  of  hostility  to  God  and  his  go- 
vernment. But  what  a  glorious  victory  is  it  to  have 
the  vicious  affections  entirely  subdued,  and  the  pow- 


THE    HEART    OF    MAN.  9 

ers  of  nature,  which  had  been  usurped  by  the  devil, 
seized  and  restrained,  and  consecrated  to  the  God  of 
heaven,  and  become  instruments  of  holiness  and 
peace ! 

Reader  !  is  this  the  character  and  state  of  thy  soul ! 
art  thou  in  the  gall  of  bitterness •,  and  bonds  of  ini- 
quity ?  Arise,  call  on  the  name  of  the  Lord,  that  the 
grace  of  repentance  may  be  given  unto  thee,  and 
thou  find  mercy  in  the  forgiveness  of  all  thy  sins, 
by  believing  on  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ. 

Sinners,  turn,  Why  will  ye  die  1 
God  your  Maker,  asks  you  why  1 
God,  who  did  your  being  give, 
Made  you  with  himself  to  live; 
He  the  fatal  cause  demands, 
Asks  the  work  of  his  own  hands, 
Why,  ye  thankless  creatures,  why 
Will  ye  cross  his  love  and  die  % 

Sinners,  turn,  why  will  ye  die  1 
God  your  Saviour,  asks  you  why  1 
Christ,  who  did  your  souls  retrieve, 
Died  himself  that  ye  might  live. 
Will  you  let  him  die  in  vain? 
Crucify  your  Lord  again  % 
Why,  ye  ransom'd  sinners,  why, 
Will  ye  slight  his  grace,  and  die  ? 

Sinners,  turn,  why  will  ye  die? 
God  the  spirit  asks  you  why  ? 
He  who  all  your  lives  hath  strove, 
Woo'd  you  to  embrace  his  love  ; 
Will  ye  not  his  grace  receive  \ 
Will  ye  still  refuse  to  live  ? 
Why,  you  long-sought  silvers,  why 
Will  you  grieve  your  God,  and  die? 

Dead,  already  dead  within, 

Spiritually  dead  in  sin  : 

Dead  to  God,  while  here  you  breathe  \ 

Pant  yon  after  second  death  % 

Will  ye  still  in  sin  remain, 

Greedy  of  eternal  pain  % 

O,  ye  "dying  sinners,  why, 

Why  will  ye  for  ever  die  ? 


10  REPRESENTATION   OF 


FIGURE  II. 


Picture  of  the  heart  of  a  person  co?ivi?iced  of  sin,  and 
endeavouring  to  flee  the  wrath  to  come. 

The  sword  in  the  angel's  hand  signifies  justice,  the 
awakened  soul  now  feels  that  it  would  have  been  just 
in  God  to  have  damned  him  long  ago.  The  skull  in 
the  other  hand  signifies  that  Christ  was  crucified, 
and  died,  to  make  provision  for  his  salvation.  By  the 
powerful  influence  of  the  spirit  of  God,  you  see  the 
devil  and  his  associate  spirits  taking  their  departure. 
The  Dove,  signifying  the  Holy  Spirit,  has  opened 
the  eyes  of  his  understanding,  and  he  who  of  old 
"  commanded  light  to  shine  out  of  darkness,  shining 
on  his  heart,  he  sees  the  light  of  the  glory  of  God," 
his  glorious  love  "  in  the  face  of  Jesus  Christ."  His 
ears  being  opened,  he  is  now  capable  of  hearing  the 
inward  voice  of  God,  saying,  "  my  son,  give  me  thy 
heart." 

Repentance  is  taken,  for  that  saving  grace  wrought 
in  the  soul  by  the  Spirit  of  God,  whereby  a  sinner  is 
made  to  see  and  be  sensible  of  his  sin,  is  grieved  and 
humbled  before  God  on  account  of  it,  not  so  much  for 
the  punishment  to  which  sin  has  made  him  liable,  as 
that  thereby  God  is  dishonoured  and  offended,  his 
laws  violated,  and  his  own  soul  polluted  and  defiled  ; 
and  this  grief  arises  from  love  to  God,  and  is  accom- 
panied with  a  hatred  of  sin,  a  love  to  holiness,  and  a 
fixed  resolution  to  forsake  sin,  and  an  expectation  of 
favour  and  forgiveness,  through  the  merits  of  Christ, 
This  is  evangelical  or  gospel  repentance.  Mat.  iii.  2 
8 ;  Acts  iii.  19 ;  2  Cor.  vii.  10. 

When  men  are  convinced  of  the  heinous  nature  oi 
sin  in  themselves,  and  before  God,  they  are  brought 
to  a  hearty  repentance  of  the  same,  by  sincere  resolu- 


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THE    HEART   OF    MAN.  11 

tions  of  amendment,  and  by  bringing  forth  fruits  cor- 
responding ;  by  ceasing  from  evil,  doing  good,  using 
the  ordinances  of  God  in  general,  obeying  him  ac- 
cording to  the  measure  of  grace  which  they  have 
received.  They  feel  in. themselves  the  heavy  burden  of 
sin,  see  damnation  to  be  the  reward  of  it,  behold  with 
the  eye  of  their  mind  the  horror  of  hell :  they  trem- 
ble, they  quake,  and  are  inwardly  touched  with  sor- 
rowfulness of  heart,  and  cannot  but  accuse  them- 
selves, and  open  their  grief  umo  Almighty  God,  and 
call  upon  him  for  mercy.  This  being  done  seriously, 
Mreir  mind  is  so  occupied,  partly  with  sorrow  and 
Heaviness,  partly  with  an  earnest  desire  to  be  deli- 
vered from  this  danger  of  hell  and  damnation,  that  all 
desire  of  meat  and  drink  is  laid  apart,  and  loathing 
of  all  earthly  things  and  pleasure  cometh  in  place. 
So  that  nothing  liketh  them  more,  than  to  weep, 
to  lament,  to  mourn,  and  both  with  words  and  beha- 
viour of  body,  to  show  themselves  weary  of  life. 
When  the  heart  is  awakened  to  a  full  sense  of  sin, 
and  the  fear  of  divine  vengeance  possesses  and  tor- 
ments the  spirit,  then  it  is  the  most  importunate  in- 
quiry of  the  heart  and  lips.  "  What  shall  I  do  to  be 
saved  ?"  How  shall  I  escape  the  wrath  to  come  ? 
How  is  the  governing  justice  of  God  to  be  satisfied  for 
my  offences  ?  What  is  the  way  to  be  made  partaker 
of  his  pardoning  mercy  ?  "  Wherewith  shall  I  bow 
myself,  and  worship  the  most  High  God."  Mic.  vi.  6. 
This  was  the  language  of  the  awakened  jailer,  who 
had  just  before  scourged  the  saints  of  the  Lord,  the 
apostles.  Acts  xvi.  30.  This  was  the  earnest  cry  of 
the  crucifiers  of  Christ  himself,  at  St.  Peter's  sermon, 
"  when  they  were  pricked  to  their  hearts."  Thus  the 
Psalmist  prayed  when  distressed  on  account  of  his 
sins,  "  Remember  not  the  sins  of  my  youth,  nor  my 
transgressions  :  according  to  thy  mercy,  remember 
thou  me  for  iky  goodness?  sake,  O  Lord."  Ps.  xxv.  7 
And  then  it  is  added.  "  Good  and  upright  is  the  Lord : 


12  REPRESENTATION   OF 

therefore  will  he  teach  sinners  in  the  way.  (ver.  8.)  St. 
Paul  learned  all  the  terrors  of  the  Lord,  and  felt  all 
his  painful  passions  in  uproar,  when  he  was  struck 
down  to  the  dust,  with  the  dreadful  and  overwhelm- 
ing glory  in  his  way  to  Damascus.  And  with  what 
intense  and  hasty  zeal  did  he  make  this  inquiry, 
"  Lord,  what  wilt  thou  have  me  to  do  ?"  And  when 
he  had  learned  the  knowledge  of  Christ,  as  the  only 
way  to  the  favour  of  God  and  salvation,  how  highly 
did  he  value  it ! 

As  the  great  end  for  which  Christ  came  into  the 
world  was  to  save  us  from  our  sins,  all  who  would 
partake  of  his  salvation,  must  give  up  the  service  of 
sin,  or  they  will  seek  after  it  in  vain.  "  Repent,  and 
turn  yourselves  from  all  your  transgressions  ;  so  ini- 
quity shall  not  be  your  ruin."  Ezek.  xviii.  30.  This 
includes  all  kinds  of  wickedness,  profaneness,  deceit, 
treachery,  intemperance,  lewdness,  wrath,  strife,  and 
malice  ;  and  whatever  is  contrary  to  the  Gospel,  dis- 
honourable to  God,  hurtful  to  others,  or  dangerous  to 
ourselves. 

Reader  !  I  dare  not  refrain  from  adding  one  plain 
question,  which  I  beseech  you  to  answer,  not  to  me, 
but  to  God.  Have  you  ever  experienced  this  repent- 
ance yourself?  this  godly  sorrow  for  sin  ?  Did  you 
ever  feel  in  yourself  that,  heavy  burden  of  sin  ?  Of 
sin  in  general ;  more  especially  inward  sin  ?  Of  pride, 
anger,  lust,  vanity?  Of  (what  is  all  sin  in  one)  that 
carnal  mind,  which  is  enmity,  essential  enmity  against 
God  ?  Do  you  know  by  experience  what  it  is,  To  be- 
hold with  the  eye  of  the  mind  the  horror  of  hell  ?  Was 
your  mind  ever  so  taken  up,  partly  with  sorrow  and 
heaviness,  partly  with  an  earnest  desire  to  be  delivered 
from  this  danger  of  hell  and  damnation,  that  even 
all  desire  of  meat  and  drink  was  taken  away,  and  you 
loathed  all  worldly  things  and  pleasure?  Surely,  if 
you  ever  knew  what  it  was  to  have  the  arrows  of  the 
Almighty  thus  sticking  fast  in  you,  you  cannot 


THE    HEART    OF    MAX.  13 

lightly  condemn  those  who  cry  out,  The  yams  of  hell 
come  about  me :  the  sorrows  of  death  compass  me, 
and  the  overflowings  of  ungodliness  make  me  afraid. 
Who  shall  deliver  me  ? 

If  you  have  thus  repented,  you  are  not  far  from  the 
kingdom  of  God.  Open  the  door  of  your  heart,  let 
the  blessed  Jesus  in,  who  has  been  knocking,  and 
waiting  until  his  locks  are  wet  with  the  dew  of  the 
night  desiring  admission.  Throw  yourself  on  his 
mercy,  and  believe  on  the  Lord  Jesus,  and  yon  shall 
be  saved.  The  promise  is  "  if  we  confess  our  sins  he 
is  faithful  and  just  to  forgive  us  our  sins,"  penitent 
soul,  believe  the  word  of  God  ;  remember,  now  is  the 
day  of  salvation,  now  is  the  accepted  time,  trust  in  him 
with  all  your  soul,  and  he  is  your  Saviour,  and  you 
shall  be  his  by  adoption,  and  be  enabled  by  the  holy 
Spirit  given  you,  to  call  him  Abba,  Father  ;  then  will 
you  find  rest  to  your  soul,  yea,  peace  the  world  cannot 
give  nor  take  away. 

Father  of  Jesus  Christ,  my  Lord, 

I  humbly  seek  thy  face, 
Encourag'd  by  the  Saviour's  word 

To  ask  thy  pard'ning  grace. 
Entering  into  my  closet,  I 

The  busy  world  exclude ; 
In  secret  prayer  for  mercy  cry, 

And  groan  to  be  renew'd. 
Thy  grace  I  languish  to  receive, 

The  spirit  of  love  and  power; 
Blameless  before  thy  face  to  live, 

To  live  and  sin  no  more. 
Fain  would  I  all  thy  goodness  feel, 

And  know  my  sins  forgiven  ! 
And  do  on  earth  thy  perfect  will 

As  angels  do  in  heaven. 
O  Father,  glorify  thy  Son, 

And  grant  what  I"  require  ; 
For  Jesus'  sake  the  gift  send  down, 

And  answer  me  by  fire. 
Kindle  the  flame  of  love  within, 

Which  may  to  heaven  ascend; 
And  now  the  work  of  grace  begin, 

Which  shall  in  glory  end. 
2 


14  REPRESENTATION    OP 


FIGURE  III. 


Picture  of  the  heart  of a  person  whose  sins  are  for  given, 
and  who  is  filled  with  peace  and  joy  in  believing  in  the 
Lord  Jesus. 

God  is  nigh  unto  them  that  are  of  a  broken  heart, 
and  a  contrite  spirit,  he  healeth  the  broken  in  heart, 
and  bindeth  up  their  wounds.  Ps.  cxlvii.  3. 

The  angel  in  this  plate  .is  presenting  in  one  hand 
the  Holy  Bible,  encouraging  the  soul  still  to  rely 
on  the  precious  promises  therein  contained.  In  the 
other  hand  is  the  cross,  signifying  that  all  the  bless- 
ings we  enjoy,  both  spiritual  and  temporal,  have  been 
purchased  for  us  by  the  Saviour's  death,  whereby 
provision  is  made  for  the  salvation  of  our  souls. 

The  eye  here  is  represented  as  looking  upwards, 
watching  the  motions  and  influence  of  the  Holy 
Spirit ;  his  eye  is  now  single  to  the  glory  of  God, 
therefore  his  body  is  full  of  light. 

The  Dove,  signifying  the  Holy  Spirit,  has  taken 
possession  of  this  heart,  and  you  see  the  Devil  and. 
his  associate  spirits,  that  once  possessed  it  are  now 
driven  out,  and  the  fruits  of  the  Spirit  are  now  im- 
planted. In  the  place  of  pride  is  humility,  in  the 
place  of  licentiousness  and  impurity  is  purity,  &c. 
We  can  read  what  is  his  language,  being  born  again. 
Come  and  hear,  all  ye  that  fear  God,  <fcc. 

The  soul  is  made  to  rejoice  in  the  Lord,  his  eyes 
overflow  with  tears  of  joy.  and  with  the  Psalmist  he 
cries  out,  1  will  extol  thee,  my  God,  O  King  ;  I  will 
bless  thy  name  for  ever,  and  ever.  And  also  in  lan- 
guage like  this  :  I  waited  patiently  for  the  Lord ;  and 
he  inclined  unto  me,  and  heard  my  cry.  He  brought 
me  up  also  out  of  a  horrible  pit,  out  of  the  miry  clay, 


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THE    HEART    OF    MAN.  15 

and  set  my  feet  upon  a  rock,  and  established  my 
goings.  And  he  hath  put  a  new  song  in  my  mouth, 
even  praise  unto  our  God. 

He  is  now  delivered  from  the  state,  and  the  wretch- 
edness, and  body  of  death,  of  which  he  had  been 
complaining — and  a  new  state  is  possessed  in  Christ 
Jesus — and  there  is  now  no  condemnation.  "  For  ye 
have  not  received  the  spirit  of  bondage  again  to  fear  ; 
but  ye  have  received  the  spirit  of  adoption,  whereby 
we  cry,  Abba,  Father  :  the  Spirit  itself  beareth  witness 
with  our  spirit  that  we  are  the  children  of  God  :  and 
if  children,  then  heirs  ;  heirs  of  God,  and  joint  heirs 
with  Christ."  The  Spirit,  as  the  great  agent  in  man's 
new  creation,  and  salvation,  worketh  with  energy, 
and  worketh  effectually  to  the  casting  down  of  every 
high  imagination  and  thought  that  exalteth  itself ; 
and  bringeth  all  into  subjection  to  the  obedience  of 
faith.  To  dwell  in  us,  and  walk  in  us  ;  to  take  away 
the  heart  of  stone,  and  give  us  a  heart  of  flesh,  is.  ano- 
ther promise  full  of  consolation,  and  well  calculated 
to  inspire  our  faith.  Let  us  not  say,  "  How  can  these 
things  be?"  for,  be  assured,  "so  is  every  one  that  is 
born  of  the  Spirit."  To  be  created  anew,  or  to  have 
the  renewing  of  the  Holy  Ghost,  is  also  to  have  the 
fruits  of  the  Spirit — love,  joy,  peace,  long-suffering, 
gentleness,  and  goodness. 

St.  Paul  declares,  that  being  justified  by  Faith,  ice 
have  peace  with  God;  which  undoubtedly  means, 
not  only  that  God  is  at  peace  with  us,  but  that  we 
have  peace  of  conscience,  and  that  the  sense  of  the 
Divine  displeasure  is  removed  :  as  it  is  expressed  in 
other  passages,  "  There  is  aow  no  condemnation  to 
them  who  are  in  Christ  Jesus,"  "  If  our  hearts  con- 
demn us  not,  then  have  we  confidence  towards  God." 
He  also  mentions  that  the  love  of  God  is  shed  abroad 
in  the  hearts  of  such,  by  the  Holy  Ghost  which  is 
given  unto  them.  The  Apostle  does  not  intend  merely 
to  inform  us,  that  God  loves  us,  but  that  we  feel  a 


16  REPRESENTATION   OF 

return  of  love  to  him  in  our  hearts.  And  St.  John 
says,  "Everyone  that  loveth  is  born  of  God,  and 
knoweth  God."  Now  is  it  possible  that  a  person,  who 
is  under  deep  distress  of  mind  for  his  past  sins,  and 
walks  in  sorrow  and  anguish,  with  a  sense  of  guilt 
upon  his  conscience  ;  can,  at  the  same  time  have  these 
marks  of  being  justified  before  God?  have  peace  with 
him,  and  peace  of  mind,  and  feel  the  love  of  God  shed 
abroad  in  his  heart,  by  the  Holy  Ghost  given  to  him? 
Each  of  the  blessings  here  mentioned,  as  is  clear  from 
the  oracles  of  truth,  belongs  to  that  soul  which  is  jus- 
tified by  faith  in  the  Redeemer,  and  we  know  not 
Iioav  it  is  possible 4b r  a  person  to  possess  them,  and 
not  be  conscious  thereof. 

It  is  undoubtedly  our  privilege  to  enjoy  a  sense  of 
the  favour  of  God,  and  to  walk  in  the  light  of  his 
countenance.  And  when,  being  redeemed  by  the 
blood  of  Christ,  we  are  brought  into  the  glorious 
liberty  of  the  sons  of  God,  we  may  standfast  in  the 
liberty  wherewith  Christ  hath  made  us  free  ;  having 
our  hope  full  of  a  blessed  and  glorious  immortality. 
Then  shall  our  peace  flow  as  a  river,  and  our  right- 
eousness as  the  waves  of  the  sea. 

Conversion  is  the  turning,  or  total  change  of  a  sin- 
ner from  his  sins  to  God,  and  is  produced  by  the  in- 
fluence of  divine  grace  on  the  soul.  Conversion 
evidences  itself  by  ardent  love  to  God,  Ps.  lxxiii.  25 — 
delight  in  his  people,  John  xiii.  35 — attendance  on 
his  ordinances,  Ps.  xxvii.  4. — confidence  in  his  pro- 
mises, Ps.  ix.  10. — abhorrence  of  self,  and  renuncia- 
tion of  the  world,  Jas.  iv.  4.— submission  to  God's 
authority,  and  uniform  obedience  to  his  word,  Matt 
vii.  20. 

The  person  thus  converted  is  enabled  to  taste  a*, 
well  as  see,  how  gracious  the  Lord  is.  He  enters  into 
the  Holiest  by  the  blood  of  Jesus,  and  tastes  of  the 
powers  of  the  world  to  come.  He  finds  Jesus'  lovo 
far  better  than  wine  ;  yea,  sweeter  than  honey  or  the 


THE    HEART    OF    MAN.  17 

honey  comb.  He  knows  what  that  meaneth,  "  all  thy 
garments  smell  of  myrrh,  aloes,  and  cassia.''  He  feels 
(he  love  of  God  shed  abroad  in  his  heart  by  the  Holy 
Ghost  which  is  given  unto  him.  This  change  from 
spiritual  death  to  spiritual  life,  is  properly  the  New 
Birth  :  all  the  particulars  whereof  are  admirably  well 
expressed  by  Dr.  Watts  in  one  verse  : 

"  Renew  my  eyes,  and  form  my  ears, 
And  motfld "my  heart  afresh  ; 
Give  me  new  passions,  hopes,  and  fears. 
And  turn  the  stone  to  flesh." 

"  Be  of  good  cheer,  thy  sins  are  forgiven  thee" — ■ 
"go  and  sin  no  more."  This  is  the  purport  of  what 
God  speaks  to  his  heart ;  although  perhaps  not  in 
these  very  words.  He  is  now  ready  to  hear  whatso 
ever  "  he  that  teacheth  man  knowledge,"  is  pleased 
from  time  to  time  to  reveal  to  him.  He  feels  he  is 
conscious  of  a  "  peace  which  passeth  all  understand- 
ing." He  many  times  feels  such  a  joy  in  God,  as  is 
"unspeakable  and  full  of  glory."  All  his  spiritual 
senses  are  now  exercised  to  discern  spiritual  good 
and  evil.  By  the  use  of  these,  he  is  daily  increasing 
in  the  knowledge  of  God,  of  Jesus  Christ  whom  he 
hath  sent,  and  of  all  the  things  pertaining  to  his  in- 
ward kingdom.  And  now  he  may  be  properly  said 
to  live  :  God  having  quickened  him  by  his  Spirit,  he 
is  alive  to  God  through  Jesus  Christ.  He  lives  a  life 
the  world  knoweth  not  of,  a  "  life  which  is  hid  with 
Christ  in  God"  God  is  continually  breathing,  as  it 
were,  upon  the  soul,  and  his  soul  is  breathing  unto 
God.  Grace  is  descending  into  his  heart,  and  prayer 
and  praise  ascending  to  heaven.  And  by  this  inter- 
course between  God  and  man,  this  fellowship  with 
the  Father  and  the  Son,  as  by  a  kind  of  spiritual  re- 
spiration, the  life  of  God  in  the  soul  is  sustained : 
and  the  child  of  God  grows  up,  till  he  comes  to  the 
"  full  measure  of  the  stature  of  Christ." 


18  REPRESENTATION    OP 

From  hence  it  manifestly  appears,  what  is  the  na- 
ture of  the  new  birth.  It  is  that  great  change  which 
God  works  in  the  soul,  when  he  brings  it  into  life  ; 
when  he  raises  it  from  the  death  of  sin,  to  the  life  of 
righteousness.  It  is  the  change  wrought  in  the  whole 
soul  by  the  Almighty  Spirit  of  Gocl,  when  it  is  "  cre- 
ated anew  in  Christ  Jesus,"  when  it  is  "renewed  after 
the  image  of  God,  in  righteousness  and  true  holi- 
ness ;"  when  the  love  of  the  world  is  changed  into 
the  love  of  God ;  pride  into  humility ;  passion  into 
meekness ;  hatred,  envy,  malice,  into  a  sincere,  ten- 
der, disinterested  love  for  all  mankind.  In  a  word, 
it  is  that  change  whereby  the  earthly,  sensual,  devil- 
ish mind,  is  turned  into  the  "  mind  which  was  in 
Christ  Jesus."  This  is  the  nature  of  the  new  birth, 
"So  is  every  one  that  is  born  of  the  Spirit." 

Do  you  ask,  how  this  Spirit  is  to  be  obtained  ?  We 
answer,  "  Ask  and  ye  shall  receive  ;"  "  for  if  ye,  being 
evil,  know  how  to  give  good  gilts  unto  your  children ■, 
how  much  more  shall  your  heavenly  Father  give  his 
Holy  Spirit  to  them  who  ask  him?"  Try  the  faith- 
fulness of  God  to  his  promise,  and  bring  your  offer- 
ing into  his  store-house  and  prove  him  therewith, 
and  see  if  he  will  not  pour  out  blessings  until  there 
be  not  room  to  contain  them  :  for  he  will  pour  his 
Spirit  upon  thy  seed,  and  his  blessing  upon  thine  off- 
spring. He  will  sprinkle  clean  water  upon  you,  and 
from  all  your  idols  will  he  cleanse  you.  For  every 
one  that  asketh  recciveth  ;  and  he  that  seekelh,  fmd- 
eth.  But  ask  in  faith,  and  let  your  faith  rest  on  the 
great  atonement.  For  whatsoever  ye  ask  in  prayer, 
believing",  ye  shall  receive.  Ye  shall  receive  it,  for 
the  mouth  of  God  hath  spoken  it. 

Reader,  let  this,  therefore,  if  you  have  not  already 
experienced  this  inward  work  of  God,  be  your  con- 
tinual prayer,  "  Lord,  add  this  to  all  thy  blessings, 
let  me  be  bom  again.  Deny  whatever  thou  pleasest; 
but  deny  not  this,  let  me  be  bom  from  above.     Take 


THE    HEART    OF    MAN.  19 

away  whatsoever  scemeth  the  good, — reputation,  for- 
tune, friends,  health.  Only  give  me  this,  to  he  horn  of 
the  Spirit.  To  be  received  among  the  children  of 
God.  Let  me  be  born,  "  not  of  corruptible  seed,  but 
incorruptible,  by  the  word  of  God,  which  liveth  and 
abideth  for  ever."  And  then  let  me  daily  "  grow  in 
grace,  and  in  the  knowledge  of  our  Lord  and  Saviour 
Jesus  Christ." 

Away,  vain  thoughts  which  lodge  within. 

Nor  farther  now  proceed ; 
How  should  I  longer  live  in  sin, 

Who  unto  sin  am  dead  \ 

A  new  and  holy  life  I  live, 

And  fashion'd  to  His  death, 
His  resurrection's  pow'r  receive, 

And  by  his  spirit  breathe. 

Fur  ever  be  his  name  ador'd. 

For  what  I  have  receiv'd. 
I  have  embrac'd  the  gospel  word, 

And  with  my  heart  belicv'd. 

Jesus  can  to  the  utmost  save  ;  » 

On  Jesus  I  depend ; 
My  fruit  to  holiness  I  have, 

And  shall  in  glory  end. 


Thou,  Lord,  hast  blest  my  going  out, 

O  bless  my  coming  in  ! 
<  Sompass  my  weakness  round  about, 

And  keep  me  safe  from  sin. 

Still  hide  me  in  thy  secret  place, 

Thy  tabernacle  spread; 
Shelter  me  with  preserving  grace, 

And  screen  my  naked  head. 

To  thee  for  refuge  may  I  run, 
From  sin's  alluring  snare: 

Ready  its  first  approach  to  shun, 
And  watching  unto  prayer. 

Fixjny  new  heart  on  things  above, 

And  then  from  earth  release; 
I  ask  not  life,  but  let  me  love, 
And  lay  me  down  in  peace. 


20  REPRESENTATION    OF 


FIGURE  IV. 

Picture  of  a  heart  after  conversion,  who  is  determined  to 
know  nothing  but  Christ  and  him  crucified. 

In  the  room  of  those  frightful  creatures,  which 
used  to  inhabit  his  breast,  you  will  now  find  engra- 
ven in  his  heart,  some  of  the  fruits  of  the  Holy  Spirit, 
namely,  peace,  joy,  long-suffering,  gentleness,  good- 
ness, (fee. 

The  eye  is  here  represented  as  being  open,  the  soul 
now  fully  sees  what  is  the  will  of  the  Lord  concern- 
ing him,  and  is  striving  to  do  it. 

In  this  plate  of  the  heart,  we  see  the  Dove  signify- 
ing the  Holy  Spirit,  abiding,  and  representing,  that 
this  soul  is  holding  fast  the  beginning  of  his  confi- 
dence in  God,  and  while  so  doing  the  Devil  must  flee 
before  the  Spirit  of  God.  The  Angel  is  close  by  to 
guard,  and  protect,  and  encourage  him  to  steadfast- 
ness, and  perseverance  in  believing.  As  the  apostle 
Paul  says,  now  abideth  Faith,  Hope,  Charity,  or 
(Love,)  and  the  greatest  of  these  is  charity,  so  his 
soul  is  pressing  on  to  know  the  Lord,  whom  to  know 
is  life  eternal. 

The  language  of  a  heart  in  this  state  cries  out  with 
the  apostle  Paul,  I  determine  to  know  nothing  among 
men,  but  Christ  and  him  crucified  ;  God  forbid,  that 
I  should  glory  save  in  the  cross  of  our  Lord  Jesus 
Christ,  by  whom  the  world  is  crucified  unto  me,  and 
I  unto  the  world.  1  Cor.  ii.  2 ;  Gal.  vi.  14.  The 
whole  bent  of  his  mind  is  aspiring  for  more  of  a  con- 
formity to  the  will  of  God  in  all  things.  O  that  I 
were  more  like  my  Saviour,  his  constant  theme  is 
breathing  after  holiness,  without  which  no  man  shall 


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4 


THE    HEART    OP    MAN.  2' 

see  the  Lord.  He  takes  hold  on  the  promises  of  Goa 
to  him,  "  Blessed  are  they  that  hunger  and  thirst  after 
righteousness,  for  they  shall  be  filled.-'  "  If  we  con- 
fess our  sins,  he  is  faithful  and  just  to  forgive  us  our 
sins,  and  to  cleanse  us  from  all  unrighteousness." 
Having  therefore,  these  promises,  dearly  beloved,  let 
us  cleanse  ourselves  from  all  filthiness  of  the  flesh, 
and  spirit,  perfecting  holiness  in  the  fear  of  God.  2 
Cor.  vi.  1.  He  rejoices  when  he  suffers  reproach, 
affliction,  temptation,  distress,  adversity,  or  persecu- 
tion for  righteousness'  sake,  none  of  these  things  move 
him,  for  what  shall  harm  him  if  he  follow  that  which 
is  good,  knowing  that  if  lie  surfers  with  his  master 
here,  he  shall  also  reign  with  him.  He  takes  en- 
couragement to  go  on  the  even  tenor  of  his  way, 
trusting  that  these  light  afflictions  which  are  but  for 
a  moment,  shall  work  out  for  him  a  far  more  exceed- 
ing, and  eternal  weight  of  glory,  if  he  is  faithful  to  the 
grace  given.  This  one  thing  I  do,  forgetting  those 
things  which  are  behind,  and  reaching  forth  unto 
those  things  which  are  before ;  I  press  toward  the 
mark,  for  the  prize  of  the  high  calling  of  God,  in 
Christ  Jesus.  Phil.  iii.  13, 14.  This  great  gift  of  God, 
the  salvation  of  his  soul,  is  no  other  than  the  image 
of  God  fresh  stamped  on  his  heart.  It  is  a  renewal 
in  the  spirit  of  our  minds  after  the  likeness  of  him  that 
created  them ;  God  has  now  laid  the  axe  unto  the 
root  of  the  tree,  purifying  his  heart,  by  faith,  and 
cleansing  all  the  thoughts  of  his  heart  by  the  inspira- 
tion of  his  Holy  Spirit.  Having  this  hope,  that  he 
shall  see  God  as  he  is,  he  purifies  himself  even  as  he 
is  pure  ;  and  is  holy,  even  as  he  that  hath  called  him 
is  holy,  in  all  maimer  of  conversation.  Not  that  he 
has  already  attained  all  that  he  shall  attain,  either  is 
already  perfect.  But  he  daily  '  goes  on  from  strength 
to  strength ;'  beholding  now  as  in  a  glass,  the  glory  of 
the  Lord,  he  is  changed  into  the  same  image,  from 
glory  to  glory,  by  the  spirit  of  the  Lord.     He  has  to 


22  REPRESENTATION   OP 

watch  unto  prayer,  for  the  Devil  is  still  his  adversa- 
ry, and  goeth  about  seeking  whom  he  may  devour. 
While  seeking  for  the  fulness  of  God,  he  cries  out, 

O  that  I  now  the  rest  may  know, 

Believe  and  enter  in ; 
Now  Saviour,  now  the  power  bestow, 

And  let  me  cease  from  sin. 

Remove  this  hardness  from  my  heart, 

This  unbelief  remove ; 
To  me  the  rest  of  faith  impart, 

The  sabbath  of  thy  Love. 

Come  Father,  Son,  and  Holy  Ghost, 

And  seal  me  thine  abode  ! 
Let  all  I  am  in  thee  be  lost ; 

Let  all  be  lost  in  God. 

He  enjoys,  and  exemplifies  by  his  life,  the  wisdom 
that  is  from  above,  which  comes  from  God,  and 
teaches  us  to  be  humble  and  holy  in  all  our  conver- 
sation. Jas.  iii.  17.  It  is  known  and  expressed  by 
several  properties  :  it  is  pure,  it  makes  him  careful  to 
avoid  any  defilement  by  sin  and  error,  and  to  adhere 
both  to  truth  and  holiness.  It  is  peaceable,  it  dispo- 
seth  him  to  peace,  both  as  the  making  and  keeping  it, 
so  far  as  is  consistent  with  purity,  and  may  be  done 
without  sin.  It  is  gentle,  it  disposes  him  to  bear  with 
the  infirmities  of  others,  to  forgive  injuries,  to  inter- 
pret all  things  for  the  best,  to  recede  from  his  own 
right  for  peace  sake.  It  is  easy  to  be  entreated,  it 
makes  him  yield  to  the  persuasions  of  the  word,  to 
good  counsel,  good  reason.  It  is  fall  of  mercy,  it 
causes  him  to  pity  others  that  are  afflicted,  or  that 
offend.  It  is  fidl  of  good  fruits,  of  beneficence,  libe- 
rality, and  all  other  offices  of  humanity,  which  pro- 
ceed from  mercy.  It  is  without  partiality,  he  does 
not  make  a  difference  between  person  and  person, 
upon  carnal  accounts.  It  is  also  without  hypocrisy 
or  counterfeiting,  as  they  do  that  judge  others,  being 
guilty  of  the  same  things  themselves  j  he  is  unfeigned 
and  sincere. 


THE    HEART   OF    MAN.  23 

If  you  would  be  established  in  Christian  holiness, 
it  will  be  necessary  for  you  to  believe,  without  waver- 
ing, the  love  of  God  towards  you  in  Jesus  Christ. 
"  We  have  known,"  said  the  beloved  disciple,  "  and 
believed,  the  love  that  God  hath  to  us ;  for  God  is 
love."  Frequently  meditate  upon  the  price  paid  for 
your  redemption ;  the  long  continued  efforts  of  the 
Spirit,  to  bring  you  from  the  ways  of  sin ;  the  bless- 
ings you  have  received,  and  are  every  hour  receiving 
from  above,  and  the  prospects  before  you.  Consider 
these  things  as  the  Spirit  may  lead  you ;  and  then 
ask  yourself,  What  am  I,  or  what  my  father's  house, 
that  thou  art  so  mindful  of  such  an  unworthy  crea- 
ture ?  Look  at  his  condescension  and  beneficence 
till  you  are  ashamed  to  doubt.  It  is  he  that  hath 
wrought  this  work  of  sanctification  in  your  soul,  and 
it  is  his  good  pleasure  to  bring  you  to  his  everlasting 
kingdom.  As  long  as  you  firmly  believe  this,  no  fear 
can  come  near  to  harm  you.  While  you  see  and 
know  that  the  Lord  with  his  "great  and  strong  sword," 
rises  against  the  "piercing,  crooked  serpent,"  and 
against  all  your  enemies,  from  the  great  love  where- 
with he  loveth  you,  nothing  can  make  you  afraid. 
And  the  stronger  your  confidence  is  in  Him,  the  bet- 
ter will  he  be  pleased  with  you  and  your  services. 

As  you  must  thus  believe  in  what  the  Lord  has 
wrought  in  you,  if  you  would  not  be  robbed  of  it ;  so 
you  must  strive  to  live  every  moment  by  faith  in  your 
crucified  Redeemer  for  what  you  Avant.  "  The  life 
which  I  now  live  in  the  flesh,"  said  St.  Paul,  "  I  live 
by  the  faith  of  the  Son  of  God,  who  loved  me,  and 
gave  himself  for  me."  Christ  is  the  proper  object  of 
your  faith.  All  your  blessings  are  derived  from  him, 
and  faith  must  be  considered  as  the  hand  that  receives 
them.  Your  soul  must  feed  upon  him ;  you  must 
spiritually  eat  his  flesh,  and  drink  his  blood.  With- 
out it  there  can  be  no  increase  of  spiritual  life.  If  you 
would  receive  the  benefits  of  his  merit  and  interces- 


24  REPRESENTATION    OF 

sion,  it  must  be  by  faith.  All  the  advantages  arising 
from  the  olilces  he  has  taken  upon  himself  for  you 
must  be  obtained  in  the  same  way.  Hence  you  see 
the  necessity  of  continually  looking  at  Jesus.  By 
faith  the  ancient  worthies  obtained  the  promises  of 
their  dispensation  ;  and  by  faith  you  must  expect  the 
accomplishment  of  all  the  promises  of  the  new  cove- 
nant.  By  faith  you  must  overcome  the  world,  quench 
the  fiery  darts  of  the  devil,  and  put  to  flight  the  temp- 
tations, sins,  and  vanities  which  surround  you.  Faitli 
that  works  by  love  is  the  spring  of  obedience.  It  will 
enable  you  to  give  up  your  all  to  God,  and  to  expect 
all  from  him.  It  will  deliver  you  from  anxious 
thoughts  concerning  futurity  :  you  will  be  assisted  to 
cast  your  care  upon  him,  and  in  every  thing,  by 
prayer  and  supplication,  with  thanksgiving,  to  make 
your  requests  known  to  him ;  and  his  peace,  which 
passeth  understanding,  shall  keep  your  heart  and  mind 
in  Christ  Jesus.  By  faith  you  have  access  to  the  grace 
in  which  you  now  stand ;  and  every  fresh  supply 
must  be  obtained  in  the  same  way.  In  short,  faith  is 
an  excellent  gift  of  God ;  and,  if  it  be  scripturally 
used,  cannot  be  used  too  much.  The  faith  that  is 
here  recommended  is  productive  of  all  good  works. 
Live,  then,  by  the  moment  in  Him  who  is  "the 
Truth,  the  Life,  and  the  Way;'5  and  you  shall  prove 
the  faithfulness  of  God,  and  be  strengthened  for  every 
good  word  and  work.  The  faith  that  produces  this, 
gives  all  the  honour  to  Him  to  whom  it  is  due,  and 
takes  nothing  to  itself ;  which  appears  to  be  the  rea- 
son why  the  Lord  puts  such  honour  upon  it.  He  that 
thus  believes  shall  never  be  confounded.  Though  at 
first  his  appearance  may  be  only  as  the  dawning  of 
the  day,  he  soon  shall  be  as  "the  sun  when  he  goeth 
forth  in  his  might," 

Reader  !  hast  thou  been  converted  from  the  error 
of  thy  ways,  hast  thou  known  the  love  of  God  that 
passeth  all  understanding,  if  so,  art  thou  pressing  on 


THE  HEART    OP    MAN.  25 

to  obtain  all  the  fulness  of  God  1  Search  and  inquire 
with  holy  fear,  and  with  the  greater  diligence,  whe- 
ther you  desire  to  love  him  with  all  your  heart.  Have 
you  chosen  him  for  your  eternal  portion,  both  in  this 
world  and  that  which  is  to  come  ?  Is  your  will  firmly 
resolved  for  God  and  religion  1  Are  you  willing  to 
forsake  every  sin?  If  you  find  these  things  wrought 
in  you  and  done  by  you,  you  have  abundant  reason 
to  take  comfort  in  this  evidence  of  your  Christianity 
and  love  to  God. 

Blest  are  the  humble  souls  that  see 
Their  emptiness  and  poverty  : 
Treasures  of  grace  to  them  are  given, 
And  crowns  of  joy  laid  up  in  heav'n. 

Blest  are  the  men  of  broken  heart, 
Who  mpurn  for  sin  with  inward  smart ; 
The  blood  of  Chris?  divinely  flows, 
A  healing  balm  fot  all  our  woes. 

Blest  are  the  meek  who  stand  afar 
From  rage  and  passion,  noise  and  wst* 
God  will  secure  their  happy  slate, 
And  plead  their  cause  against  the  great. 

Blest  are  the  souls  that  thirst  for  grace, 
Hunger  and  long  for  righteousness  ! 
They  shall  be  well  supplied  and  fed 
With  living  streams  and  living  bread. 

Blest  are  the  men  whose  bowels  move, 
And  melt  with  sympathy  and  love  : 
From  Christ  the  Lord  they  shall  obtain. 
Like  sympathy  and  love  again. 

Blest  are  the  pure  whose  hearts  are  clean 
From  the  defiling  power  of  sin  : 
With  endless  pleasures  they  shall  see 
A  God  of  spotless  purity. 

Blest  are  the  men  of  peaceful  life, 
Who  quench  the  coals  of  growing  strife: 
They  shall  be  call'd  the  heirs  of  bliss, 
The  sons  of  God,  the  God  of  peace. 

Blest  are  the  suff'rers  who  partake 
Of  pain  and  shame  for  Jesus'  sake  : 
Their  souls  shall  triumph  in  the  Lord, 
Glory  and  joy  are  their  reward. 

3  < 


20  REPRESENTATION  OF 


FIGURE  V. 

Picture  of  the  heart  of  a  person  who  is  sanctified  to  Godt 
and  filled  with  perfect  love. 

In  the  picture  of  this  heart,  we  see  the  situation  of 
a  man  sanctified,  and  filled  with  perfect  love  to  God 
and  man. 

ftThe  eyes  of  your  understanding  being  enlight- 
ened ;  that  ye  may  know  what  is  the  hope  of  his  call- 
ing, and  what  the  riches  of  the  glory  of  his  inherit- 
ance in  the  saints."  Eph.  i.  18. 

The  Dove,  signifying  the  Holy  Spirit,  has  taken  up 
his  abode  in  this  heart,  and  is  shedding  forth  light, 
life,  and  joy.  The  Holy  Bible  is  seen  there,  signify- 
ing, that  he  has  taken  that  as  the  man  of  his  counsel, 
and  from  this  treasure,  to  gather  his  weapons  of  spi- 
ritual warfare,  against  the  world,  the  flesh,  and  the 
devil.  In  this  sacred  volume,  he  sees  every  thing 
necessary  to  guide  both  his  faith  and  practice.  There 
the  precious  promises  of  a  faithful  God  are  registered 
for  his  comfort,  with  many  a  glorious  view  of  the 
almighty  Promiser.  And  his  motto  is  holiness  to  the 
Lord.  The  Angel  is  still  about  this  happy  soul,  and 
in  his  hand  holding  an  Olive  Branch,  signifying,  great 
'peace  have  they  that  love  thy  law.  and  nothing  shall 
offend  them. 

"The  pure  in  heart"  are  they,  whose  hearts  God  hath 
"  purified  even  as  he  is  pure ;"  who  are  purified  through 
faith  in  the  blood  of  Jesus,  from  every  unholy  affection ; 
who  being  "cleansed  from  all  filthiness  of  flesh  and 
spirit,  perfect  holiness  in  the  (loving)  fear  of  God." 
They  are,  through  the  power  of  his  grace, purified  from 
pride,  by  the  deepest  poverty  of  spirit ;  from  anger, 
from  every  unkind  or  turbulent  passion,  by  meekness 


THE    HEART    OF    MAN.  27 

and  gentleness  ;  from  every  desire  but  to  please  and 
enjoy  God,  to  know  and  love  him,  more  and  more,  by 
that  hunger  and  thirst  after  righteousness,  which  now 
engrosses  their  whole  soul ;  so  that  now  they  love  the 
Lord  their  God,  with  all  their  heart,  and  with  all  their 
soul,  and  mind,  and  strength. 

Such  is  the  purity  of  heart  which  God  requires, 
and  works  on  those  who  believe  on  the  Son  of  his 
love.  And  blessed  are  iliey  who  are  thus  pure  in 
heart,  for  they  shall  see  God.  He  will  "manifest 
himself  unto  them,"  not  only  "as  he  doth  not  unto 
the  world,"  but  as  he  doth  not  always  to  his  own  chil- 
dren. He  will  bless  them  with  the  clearest  communi- 
cations of  his  spirit,  the  most  intimate  "fellowship 
with  the  Father  and  with  the  Son."  ■  He  will  cause 
his  presence  to  go  continually  before  them,  and  the 
light  of  his  countenance  to  shine  upon  them.  It  is 
the  ceaseless  prayer  of  their  heart,  "  I  beseech  thee, 
show  me  thy  glory :"  and  they  have  the  petition  they 
ask  of  him.  They  now  see  him  by  faith,  (the  veil  of 
flesh  being  made,  as  it  were,  transparent,)  even  in 
these  his  lowest  works,  in  all  that  surrounds  them,  in 
all  that  God  has  created  and  made.  They  see  him  in 
the  height  above,  and  in  the  depth  beneath  j  they  see 
him  filling  all  in  all. 

The  pure  in  heart  see  all  things  full  of  God.  They 
see  him  in  the  firmament  of  heaven,  in  the  moon, 
walking  in  brightness,  in  the  sun,  when  he  rejoices 
as  a  giant  to  run  his  course.  They  see  him  making 
the  clouds  his  chariots,  and  walking  upon  the  "wings 
of  the  wind."  They  see  him  "  preparing  rain  for  the 
earth,  and  blessing  the  increase  of  it :  giving  grass 
for  the  cattle,  and  green  herb  for  the  use  of  man." 
They  see  the  Creator  of  all,  wisely  governing  all,  and 
"  upholding  all  things  by  the  word  of  his  power."  "O 
Lord  !  our  governor  !  how  excellent  is  thy  name  in 
all  the  world !" 

In  all  his  providences  relating  to  themselves,  to 


28  REPRESENTATION    OF 

their  souls,  or  bodies,  the  pure  in  heart  do  more 
particularly  see  God.  They  see  his  hand  ever  over 
them  for  good ,  giving  them  all  things  in  weight  and 
measure,  numbering  the  hairs  of  their  head,  making 
a  hedge  round  about  them,  and  all  that  they  have, 
and  disposing  all  the  circumstances  of  their  life,  ac- 
cording to  the  depth  of  his  wisdom  and  mercy. 

But  in  a  more  especial  manner  they  see  God  in  his 
ordinances.  Whether  they  appear  in  the  great  con- 
gregation, to  "pay  him  the  honour  due  unto  his  name, 
and  worship  him  in  the  beauty  of  holiness  f  or  "  enter 
into  their  closets,"  and  there  pour  out  their  souls  before 
their  "  Father  which  is  in  secret ;"  whether  they 
search  the  oracles  of  God,  or  hear  the  ambassadors  of 
Christ  proclaiming  glad  tidings  of  salvation ;  or  by 
eating  of  the  bread,  and  drinking  of  that  cup,  "show 
forth  his  death  till  he  come"  in  the  clouds  of  heaven  : 
in  all  his  appointed  ways,  they  find  such  a  near  ap- 
proach as  cannot  be  expressed.  They  see  him,  as  it 
were,  face  to  face,  and  "  talk  with  him,  as  a  man  talk- 
eth  with  his  friend  ;"  a  fit  preparation  for  those  man- 
sions above,  wherein  they  shall  see  him  as  he  is. 

The  Lord  has  graciously  promised  this  great 
blessing  ;  and  what  he  has  promised  he  will  surely 
make  good  to  you,  "  with  all  his  heart  and  all  his 
soul."  Blessed  are  they  that  hunger  and  thirst  after 
righteousness,  for  they  shall  be  filled — Blessed  is  the 
man  to  whom  the  Lord  imputeth  not  iniquity,  and  in 
whose  spirit  there  is  no  guile.  The  eternal  God  is 
thy  refuge,  and  underneath  are  the  everlasting  arms  : 
and  he  shall  thrust  out  the  enemy  from  before  thee  ; 
and  shall  say,  Destroy  them. — I  will  pour  water  upon 
him  that  is  thirsty,  and  floods  upon  the  dry  ground  ; 
I  will  pour  my  Spirit  upon  thy  seed,  and  my  blessing 
upon  thy  offspring. — I  will  sprinkle  clean  water  upon 
you,  and  ye  shall  be  clean  :  from  all  yom  jilthhiess, 
and  from  all  your  idols  will  I  cleanse  you.  A  new 
heart  also  will  I  give  you ;  and  a  new  spirit  will  I 


THE    HEART   OF   MAN.  29 

put  within  you :  and  I  will  take  away  the  stony 
heart  out  of  your  flesh,  and  I  will  give  you  an  heart 
of  flesh.  And  I  will  put  my  Spirit  within  you.  and 
cause  you  to  walk  in  my  statutes,  and  ye  shall  keep 
my  judgments  and  do  them. — I  will  also  save  you 
from  all  your  uncleannesses. — He  shall  save  his  peo- 
ple from  their  sins. — He  will  baptise  you  with  the 
Holy  Ghost  and  with  fire." 

Thou,  Lord,  on  whom  I  still  depend, 
Shalt  keep  nie  faithful  to  the  end ; 
I  trust  thy  truth,  and  love,  and  pow'r, 
Shall  save  me  till  my  latest  hour  ; 

And  when  I  lay  this  bod)''  clown, 

Reward  with  an  immortal  crown  ! 

Jesus,  in  thy  great  name  I  go, 

To  conquer  death,  my  final  for.  .  - 

And  when  I  quit  this  cumb'roos  flay, 
And  soar  on  eagle's  wings  away, 
My  soul  the  second  death  defies, 
And  reigns  eternal  in  the  skies. 

Eye  hath  not  seen,  nor  car  hath  heard, 
What  Christ  hath  for  his  saints  prepar'd, 
Who  conquer  through  their  Saviour's  might— 
Who  rise  into  perfection's  height. 

Dost  thou  desire  to  know  or  see,  '-< 

What  thy  mysterious  name  shall  be  1 
Receiving  thy  new  name  unknown, 
Thou  read'st  it  wrote  on  the  white  stone. 

Then  trample  death  beneath  thy  feet. 
And  gladly  die  thy  Lord  to  meet ; 
Contending  for  thy  heavenly  home, 
Thy  latest  foe  in  death  o'ercome. 


30  REPRESENTATION   OP 


FIGURE  VI. 

Picture  of  a  heart  enjoying  perfect  love  to  God  and 
inair,  and  resisting  the  temptations  of  the  Devil,  with  the 
marks  and  fru  iis  of  holintss. 

In  this  picture  of  the  heart,  we  see  the  angel  still 
enauraging  the  soul  of  such  a  man.  with  the  precious 
promises  of  God  to  perseverance  and  faithfulness ;  also 
is  seen,  the  Scriptures  which  are  read  by  him ;  and  the 
Dove,  signifying  the  Holy  Spirit ;  the  vine  of  grapes, 
signifies  iruit  ;  the  Devils  are  waiting  round,  present 
ing  temptations,  but  this  soul  is  steadfastly  resisting, 
and  therefore  is  not  overcome.  "Sin  and  Satan  find  no 
entrance  into  this  temple  of  love  and  peace  !  Outward 
storms  cannot  shake  its  foundation,  for  its  graces  are 
built  upon  the  rock  of  ages." 

The  eye  of  his  understanding  continues  open,  and 
looking  upwards,  having  for  its  object  the  Lord  Jesus 
Christ,  he  steadily  keeps  looking  by  faith  on  him 
whom  his  soul  loves  with  a  pure  heart  fervently. 

It  is  very  necessary  that  the  evidence  should  be 
added  to  the  work  of  sanctification,  that  he  who  has 
experienced  that  work  may  have  the  enjoyment  of  it. 
Without  this,  he  would  be  like  a  person  who  should 
have  a  large  estate  fall  to  him  ;  but  being  ignorant  of 
it,  could  not  have  the  enjoyment  and  use  of  it,  as 
though  he  knew  it.  The  evidence  of  sanctification 
may  be  compared  to  the  key  stone  which  binds  and 
strengthens  an  arch,  or  to  the  last  touches  of  the 
pencil,  which  give  a  polish  to  the  fair  picture.  We 
may  suppose  the  work  of  sanctification,  or  cleansing 
from  sin,  to  exist  without  the  evidence,  or  to  be  dis- 
tinct from  it :  but  it  would  be  manifestly  unsafe  fox 
any  one  to  rest  without  it. 


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THE   HEART    OF   MAN.  31 

The  fruits  of  the  Spirit,  are  those  gracious  habits 
which  the  Holy  Spirit  of  God  produces  in  those  in 
whom  he  dwelleth  and  worketh,  with  those  acts 
which  flow  from  them  as  naturally  as  the  tree  pro- 
duces its  fruit.  The  apostle  enumerates  these  fruits, 
in  Gal.  v.  22,  23.  But  the  fruit  of  the  Spirit  is  love, 
both  to  God  and  our  neighbours  ;  joy,  or  a  delight  in 
God,  arising  from  a  sense  of  our  interest  in  him ; 
peace  with  God,  quietude  of  conscience,  and  a  peace- 
able disposition  towards  men,  as  opposed  to  strife, 
variance,  emulation,  &c.  Long-suffering,  patiently 
bearing,  and  forgiving  many  provocations  and  inju- 
ries ;  this  is  opposed  to  a  hastiness  to  revenge  ;  gen- 
tleness, or  an  alfableness,  an  easiness  to  be  entreated, 
when  any  one  has  wronged  us  ;  goodness,  kindness, 
friendliness,  or  readiness  to  do  good  to  others  ;  faith, 
or  faithfulness,  to  speak  nothing  but  the  truth,  and  to 
perform  all  our  engagements  ;  meekness,  forbearance 
of  passion,  rash  anger,  and  hastiness  of  spirit ;  and 
temperance,  or  a  curbing  of  all  carnal  desires,  and  a 
sparing  use  of  all  sensual  delights. 

It  is  true,  many  have  thought  they  had  the  evidence 
of  sanctification  when  they  had  it  not,  and  have 
brought  dishonour  upon  the  profession  of  it.  This 
was  because  they  knew  not  what  the  evidence  is. 
They  judged  by  false  marks.  They  had  received  a 
large  measure  of  love,  and  were  exceedingly  joyful ; 
and  took  these  for  an  evidence  of  sanctification.  Per- 
haps some,  on  slighter  grounds  still,  have  believed 
themselves  sanctified. — But  it  is  not  great  love  and 
joy,  no,  nor  the  feeling  no  sin  added  thereto,  that  will 
prove  a  person  thoroughly  sanctified ;  because  it  is 
often  the  case  that  all  these  unite  in  the  justified  state. 
Where  love  and  joy  are,  the  motions  of  sin  are,  for  the 
time  being,  suspended,  though  it  remains  in  the  heart. 

The  evidence  of  sanctification  is  two-fold,  and  re 
suits,  First,  from  the  witness  of  the  Spirit  of  God ; 
and,  Secondly,  from  the  nature  of  the  work. 


32 


REPRESENTATION   OP 


First.  From  the  witness  of  the  Spirit  of  God.  "  We 
can  know  that  we  are  sanctified  no  otherwise  than 
we  know  we  are  justified.  "  Hereby  know  we  that  we 
are  of  God,"  h\  cither  sense,  "  by  the  Spirit  he  hath 
given  us."  We  know  it  by  the  "witness  of  the  Spirit." 
As  when  we  were  justified,  "the  Spirit  bore  witness 
with  our  spirit,"  that  our  sins  were  forgiven  ;  so  when 
we  were  sanctified,  he  bore  witness  that  they  were 
taken  away.  Indeed,  the  witness  of  sanctification  is 
not  always  clear  at  first,  (as  neither  is  that  of  justifi- 
cation ;)  neither  is  it  afterwards  always  the  same,  but 
like  that  of  justification,  sometimes  stronger  and  some 
times  fainter.  Yea,  and  sometimes  it  is  withdrawn. 
Yet,  in  general,  the  latter  testimony  of  the  Spirit  is 
both  as  clear  and  as  steady  as  that  of  the  former. 

"  In  the  hour  of  temptation  Satan  clouds  the  work 
of  God  and  injects  various  doubts  and  reasonings, 
especially  in  those  who  have  either  very  weak  or  very 
strong  understandings.  At  such  times  there  is  abso- 
lute need  of  that  witness  ;  without  which  the  work 
of  sanctification  not  only  could  not  be  discerned,  but 
could  not  subsist.  Were  it  not  for  this,  the  soul  could 
not  then  abide  in  the  love  of  God  ;  much  less  could  it 
rejoice  evermore,  and  in  every  thing  give  thanks.  In 
these  circumstances,  therefore,  a  direct  testimony  that 
we  are  sanctified,  is  necessary  in  the  highest  degree. 
And  the  following  Scriptures  give  reason  to  expect 
it :  "  We  have  received  not  the  spirit  of  the  world, 
but  the  Spirit  which  is  of  God,  that  we  may  know 
the  things  which  are  freely  given  to  us  of  God."  1 
Cor.  ii.  12. 

"Now  surely  sanctification  is  one  of  the  things 
which  are  freely  given  to  us  of  God.  And  no  possi- 
ble reason  can  be  assigned,  why  this  should  be  ex- 
cepted, when  the  apostle  says,  '  We  receive  the  Spi- 
lit,' for  this  very  end,  '  that  we  may  know  the  things 
which  are  thus  freely  given  us.' 

"  Is  not  the  same  thing  implied  in  that  well  known 


THE   HEART   OF   MAN.  33 

Scripture,  Rom.  viii.  16, '  the  Spirit  itself  beareth  wit- 
ness with  our  spirit  that  we  are  the  children  of  God.' 
Does  he  only  witness  this  to  those  who  are  children 
of  God  in  the  lowest  sense  ?  Nay,  but  to  those  also 
who  are  such  in  the  highest  sense.  And  does  he  not 
witness  that  they  are  such  in  the  highest  sense? 
What  reason  have  we  to  doubt  it  ? 

"Consider  likewise,  1  John,  v.  19.  'We  know  that 
we*  are  of  God.5  How  ?  '  By  the  Spirit  that  he  hath 
given  us.'  1  John,  iii.  24.  Nay,  'hereby  we  know 
tiiat  he  abideth  in  us.'  And  what  ground  have  we 
either  from  Scripture  or  reason, to  exclude  the  witness 
any  more  than  the  fruit  of  the  Spirit  from  being  here 
intended  ?  By  this,  then,  also  v;e  know  that  we  are 
of  God,  and  in  ivhat  sense  we  are  so.  Whether  we 
are  babes,  young  men.  or  fathers,  we  know  in  the 
same  manner. 

"  Not  that  I  affirm  that  all  young  men,  or  even 
fathers,  have  this  testimony  every  moment ;  there  may 
be  intermission  of  the  direct  testimony  that  they  are 
thus  born  of  God.  But  these  intermissions  are  fewer 
and  shorter  as  they  grow  up  in  Christ.  And  some  have 
the  testimony  both  of  their  justification  and  sanctiii- 
cation,  without  any  intermission  at  all :  which  I  pre- 
sume more  might  have,  did  they  walk  as  humbly  and 
elosely  with  God  as  they  may." 

Secondly.  The  evidence  of  sanctilication  results 
from  the  nature  of  that  state.  And  here  two  things 
may  be  noticed,  the  absence  of  sin,  and  the  fruits  of 
the  Spirit. 

1.  The  absence  of  sin.  In  the  work  of  sanctifica- 
tion  there  is  such  a  change  wrought  in  all  the  affec- 
tions and  tempers  of  the  mind,  as  effectually  to  do 
away  every  root  of  bitterness,  every  evil  propensity. 
Here  let  the  person  who  would  ascertain  his  true 
state,  take  into  view  the  process  of  the  work  he  has 
experienced.  Has  he  had  a  clear  discovery  of  the 
depravity  of  his  nature  ?    Has  he  seen  and  lamented 


34  REPRESENTATION   OF 

his  unlikeness  to  God — his  proneness  lo  wander 
from  God  in  his  thoughts,  words,  tempers  and  ac- 
tions? Has  he  seen  and  bewailed  the  stubbornness 
of  his  will,  the  hardness  of  his  heart,  his  remaining 
unbelief,  pride,  anger,  impatience,  and  a  thousand 
evils  of  his  nature  7  Has  he  fled  from  himself  to  the 
Saviour  for  help  ?  And  has  he  obtained  help  against 
all  these  ?  Has  the  Lord  Jehovah  come  to  his  relief? 
Are  the  evils  under  which  he  groaned,  gone  ?  He 
says,  I  feel  them  not.  But  are  they  entirely  destroy- 
ed, or  only  suspended  ?  Here  let  him  ask  whether  a 
sufficient  length  of  time  has  elapsed  since  he  felt 
(hem,  to  give  them  an  opportunity  to  show  them- 
selves. In  particular,  have  those  occasions  and  trials 
occurred  which  used  to  excite  them  ?  And  is  there 
no  sense  of  self-will,  self-applause,  anger,  impatience, 
&c,  but,  on  the  contrary,  2. -all  the  fruits  of  the 
Spirit ;  love,  joy,  peace,  always  abiding  ; — long-suf- 
fering, patience,  resignation : — ge7itleness,tri\im])h. 
ingover  all  provocation  ; — goodness,  mildness,  sweet- 
ness, tenderness  of  spirit ;— fidelity,  simplicity,  godly 
sincerity ; — meekness,  calmness,  evenness  of  spirit; — • 
temperance,  not  only  in  food  and  drink,  but  in  all 
things  temporal  and  spiritual  ?  If  I  say,  there  are  no 
motions  of  sin,  but  all  the  fruits  of  the  Spirit  con 
tinually  present  in  the  soul,  then  there  is  good  reason 
to  believe  the  work  of  sanctification  is  accomplished. 
But  still  this  cannot  be  certainly  known  without  the 
direct  witness  of  the  Spirit :  that  is,  it  cannot  be  cer- 
tainly known  that  all  sin  is  destroyed,  and  all  the 
fruits  of  the  Spirit  are  in  the  soul.  As  was  observed 
above,  Satan  will  at  times"  so  becloud  the  work  of  the 
Spirit  by  his  temptations,  as  to  create  a  doubt  of  the 
existence  of  this  or  that  fruit  of  the  Spirit.  So,  on  the 
other  hand,  will  sometimes  accuse  the  child  of  God 
that  he  has  sinned,  that  he  has  indulged  some  sinful 
desire  or  propensity :  and  he  cannot  always  distin- 
guish between  temptation  and  sin,  unless  he  has  the 
direct  witness  of  the  Spirit. 


THE    HEART   OF   MAN.  35 

"  In  some  cases,"  says  Mr.  Wesley,  "  it  is  impossi- 
ble to  distinguish  without  the  direct  iritncss  of  the 
Spirit.     But  in  general,  one  may  distinguish  thus  : 

"One  commends  me.  Here  is  a  temptation  to 
pride  ;  but  instantly  my  soul  is  humbled  before  God, 
and  I  feel  no  pride  :  of  which  I  am  as  sure  as  I  am 
that  pride  is  not  humility. 

"  A  man  strikes  me.  Here  is  a  temptation  to  anger. 
But  my  heart  overflows  with  love,  and  I  feel  no  an- 
ger at  all ;  of  which  I  am  as  sure  as  I  am  that  love 
and  anger  are  not  the  same. 

"  Thus  it  is  if  I  am  tempted  by  a  present  object ; 
and  it  is  just  the  same,  if,  when  it  is  absent,  the  devil 
recalls  a  commendation,  an  injury,  dec.  to  my  mind. 
In  the  instant  the  soul  repels  the  temptation,  and  re- 
mains filled  with  pure  love. 

"  And  the  difference  is  still  plainer  when  I  compare 
my  present  state  with  my  past,  wherein  I  felt  tempta- 
tion and  corruption  too." 

But  still  there  will  be  many  cases  in  which  the 
child  of  God  will  not  be  able  to  distinguish  without 
the  direct  witness  of  the  Holy  Spirit.  And  such  a 
cause  is  a  painful  one.  It  is  painful  to  lie  under  an 
accusation  of  having  offended  God,  and  not  know 
but  it  is  true.  And  this  is  not  only  a  case  of  pain,  but 
of  danger.  There  is  danger  of  his  losing  his  confi- 
dence, becoming  perplexed,  and  falling  into  darkness, 
if  not  into  despair  and  open  sin. 

The  witness  of  the  Spirit  is  therefore  to  be  very 
highly  esteemed,  and  diligently  sought  after;  and 
knowing"  that  it  is  the  will  of  God  that  we  should 
have  it,  Ave  may  come  boldly,  and.  ask  and  receive, 
that  our  joy  may  be  full. 

Be  careful  not  to  grieve  the  Holy  Spirit,  by  which 
you  are  sealed  to  the  day  of  redemption.  The  more 
he  has  done  for  you,  the  more  studious  you  should 
be  to  please  him.  You  should  attend  to  every  com- 
mand, and  observe  every  duty.     The  least  violation 


30  REPRESENTATION   OF 

of  the  Jaw  of  love,  through  indifference  or  neglect, 
the  least  rejection  or  misimprovement  of  grace,  is  dis- 
pleasing to  him.  An  unguarded  word,  or  an  impro- 
per thought  or  temper,  will  be  sufficient  to  bring  a 
cloud  upon  your  mind,  weaken  your  desires  after 
higher  attainments,  sensibly  damp  your  fervour,  and 
cause  you  grief  and  dissatisfaction.  There  mast  be 
close  walking  with  your  Lord,  if  you  intend  to  have 
the  witness  that  you  please  him ;  for  he  has  no  plea- 
sure in  foolishness.  You  are  a  steward,  not  a  pro- 
prietor, of  your  Lord's  ^oods.  He  will  come  at  last 
and  reckon  with  you.  You  are  accountable  to  him 
for  time,  privileges,  talents,  mercies,  helps,  and  op- 
portunities. Aim  to  be  altogether  a  Christian.  Fol- 
low the  apostle's  advice  :  "  Giving  all  diligence,  add 
to  your  faith  virtue,  and  to  virtue  knowledge,  and  to 
knowledge  temperance,  and  to  temperance  patience, 
and  to  patience  godliness,  and  to  godliness  brotherly 
kindness,  and  to  brotherly  kindness  charity."  Let 
your  eye  be  single,  doing  all  as  unto  the  Lord  ;  and 
the  Spirit  of  holiness  will  not  fail  to  comfort,  strength- 
en, and  direct  your  soul. 

Study  the  Scriptures.  That  blessed  book  carries 
its  own  evidence  along  with  it,  and  you  will  find  its 
excellences  continually  increasing  upon  your  view. 
You  will  there  trace  the  characters  of  the  saints — 
their  virtues  and  defects,  and  the  graces  for  which 
thay  were  most  eminent.  By  this  means  you  may 
learn  how  to  distrust  yourself,  and  trust  to  the  Lord ; 
how  to  avoid  their  weaknesses,  and  the  rocks  against 
which  some  of  them  struck  ;  and  how  to  glorify  God 
by  the  strictest  conformity  to  his  will. 

There  you  may  trace,  through  successive  ages,  the 
power  and  providence  of  God  towards  his  people,  the 
support  afforded  them  in  trouble,  the  deliverances 
wrought  for  them,  and  the  miserable  end  of  their 
enemies  and  persecutors. 

You  may  there  behold  the  once  happy  state  of 


THE    HEART    OF   MAN.  3? 

man,  the  effects  of  his  rebellion,  the  divine  procedure 
in  his  restoration,  together  with  the  innumerable  wit- 
nesses of  his  power  to  save  to  the  uttermost. 

In  this  unsullied  mirror,  a  steady  faith  may  appre- 
hend the  distant  splendours  of  the  everlasting  habita- 
tions :  and.  for  the  quickening  of  your  diligence,  it 
aifords  a  view  of  the  infernal  pit,  the  abode  of  devils, 
and  of  all  that  denied  "  the  Lord  that  bought  them," 
or  "  received  his  grace  in  vain."' 

Your  Lord  has  commanded  you  to  search  the 
Scriptures.  They  are  able  to  make  you  wise  unto 
salvation,  through  faith  in  him.  They  were  given 
"  by  inspiration  of  God,  and  are  profitable  for  doc- 
trine, for  reproof,  for.  correction,  for  instruction  in 
righteousness,  that  the  man  of  God  may  be  perfect, 
thoroughly  furnished  unto  all  good  works."  What- 
ever books  you  read,  let  the  Bible  be  one.  Meditate 
therein,  till  its  end  is  answered  in  your  complete  sal- 
vation. 

Lord,  how  secure  and  blest  are  they 
Who  feel  the  joys  of  pardon'd  sin  ! 

Should  storms  of  wrath  shake  earth  and  sea, 
Their  minds  have  heav'n  and  peace  within. 

The  day  glides  sweetly  o'er  their  heads, 
Made  up  of  innocence  and  love  ; 

And  soft  and  silent  as  the  shades, 

Their  nightly  minutes  gently  move. 

duick  as  their  thoughts  their  joys  eome  on, 

But  fly  not  half  so  swift  away  : 
Their  souls  are  ever  bright  as  noon, 

And  calm  as  summer  evenings  be. 

How  oft  they  look  to  th'  heav'nly  hills, 

Where  groves  of  living  pleasure  grow  ! 
And  longing  hopes,  and  cheerful  smiles, 
Sit  undisturb'd  upon  their  brow. 

They  scorn  to  seek  our  golden  toys, 

But  spend  the  day,  and  share  the  night, 
In  numb'ring  o'er  the  richer  joys 
That  heav'n  prepares  for  their  delight. 

4  -^    i 


88  REPRESENTATION  OF 


FIGURE  VII. 

Picture  of  the  heart  of  a  person,  whose  spiritual  life 
has  in  a  measure  become  dead,  and  who  is  beginning  to 
backslide. 

In  this  heart  you  merely  see  the  Cross,  signifying 
there  is  yet  some  regard  for  Christ,  and  an  outward 
profession  of  his  religion,  while  Satan  is  by  degrees 
entering  into  his  old  habitation.  The  eye  of  his  un- 
derstanding now  begins  to  close  on  things  spiritual, 
and  the  carnal  eye  of  his  mind  is  awake,  and  begins 
to  look  on  the  world  with  a  desire  to  enjoy  the  same. 
The  Holy  Spirit,  represented  in  this  plate  by  the 
angel,  is  not  willing  to  leave,  is  entreating  him  to  be 
watchful,  and  strengthen  the  things  which  remain, 
that  are  ready  to  die  ;  I  would  that  thou  wert  either 
cold  or  hot,  for  I  have  not  found  thy  works  perfect 
before  God.  Remember,  therefore,  how  thou  hast 
received  and  heard  ;  and  hold  fast  and  repent. 

There  can  be  no  point  of  greater  importance  to  him 
who  knows  that  it  is  the  Holy  Spirit  which  leads  us 
into  all  truth  and  into  all  holiness,  than  to  consider 
with  what  temper  of  soul  we  are  to  entertain  his 
Divine  Presence,  so  as  neither  to  drive  him  from  us, 
or  to  disappoint  him  of  the  gracious  ends  for  which 
his  abode  with  us  is  designed,  which  is  not  the 
amusement  of  our  understanding,  but  the  conversion 
and  entire  sanctification  of  our  hearts  and  live§. 

The  words  of  the  apostle  contain  a  most  serious 
and  affectionate  exhortation  to  this  purpose,  "  Grieve 
not  the  Holy  Spirit  of  God,  whereby  ye  are  sealed  to 
the  day  of  redemption." 

We  are  said  to  grieve  the  Holy  Spirit  by  our  sins, 
because  of  his  immediate  presence  with  us.  They  are 


jr?l 


"J&ftVf/te/  rf  //<////<■  /''  //re   /•///   /.<'   tffffff . 


THE    HEART   OP   MAN.  39 

more  directly  committed  under  his  eye,  and  are, 
therefore,  more  highly  offensive  to  him.  He  is  pleased 
to  look  upon  professing  Christians  as  more  peculiarly 
separated  to  his  honour  :  nay,  we  are  so  closely  united 
to  him,  that  we  are  said  to  be  "  one  spirit  with  him," 
and,  therefore,  every  sin  which  we  now  commit,  be- 
sides its  own  proper  guilt,  carries  in  it  a  fresh  and 
infinitely  high  provocation.  "  Know  ye  not  your  own 
selves,"  saith  St.  Paul,  "that  your  bodies  are  the  tem- 
ples of  the  Holy  Ghost  V  And  how  are  they  so,  but 
by  his  inhabitation  and  ultimate  presence  with  our 
souls.  When,  therefore,  we  set  up  the  idols  of  earthly 
inclinations  in  our  hearts,  (which  are  properly  his 
altar,)  and  bow  down  ourselves  to  serve  those  vicious 
passions,  which  we  ought  to  sacrifice  to  his  will,  this 
must  needs  be,  in  the  highest  degree,  offensive  and 
grievous  to  him.  "  For  what  concord  is  there  between 
the  Holy  Spirit  and  Belial  ?  Or  what  agreement  hath 
the  temple  of  God  with  idols  ?" 

We  grieve  the  Holy  Spirit  by  our  sins,  because 
they  are  so  many  contempts  of  the  highest  expression 
of  his  love,  and  disappoint  him  in  his  last  remedy, 
whereby  he  is  pleased  to  endeavour  our  recovery. 
And  thus  every  sin  we  now  commit  is  done  in  despite 
of  all  his  powerful  assistances,  in  defiance  of  his 
reproofs:  an  ungrateful  return  for  infinite  loving- 
kindness. 

But  if  arguments  of  this  kind  are  not  strong  enough 
to  keep  us  from  grieving  our  best  friend,  the  Holy 
Spirit  of  God,  let  us  consider  that  by  this  ungrateful 
conduct,  we  shall  provoke  him  to  withdraw  from  us. 

And  the  more  frequently  we  offend  him,  the  more 
we  weaken  his  influences  in  our  souls.  For  frequent 
breaches  will  necessarily  occasion  estrangement  be- 
tween us  ;  and  it  is  impossible  that  our  intercourse 
with  him  can  be  cordial,  when  it  is  disturbed  by  re- 
peated interruptions.  So  a  man  will  forgive  his  friend 
a  great  many  imprudences,  and  some  wilful  "trans- 


40  REPRESENTATION   OF 

gressions  ;  but  to  find  him  frequently  affronting  him, 
all  his  kindness  will  wear  off  by  degrees,  and  the 
warmth  of  his  affection,  even  towards  him  who  had 
once  the  greatest  share  of  it,  will  die  away ;  as  he 
cannot  but  think  that  such  a  one  does  not  any  longer 
either  desire,  or  deserve  to  maintain  a  friendship 
with  him. 

There  are  many  persons,  who,  in  the  main  of  their 
lives,  are  regular  in  their  conversation,  and  observe 
the  means  of  improvement,  and  attend  upon  the  holy 
sacrament  with  exactness,  who  yet,  in  the  intervals  of 
their  duties,  give  too  great  liberty  to  their  thoughts, 
affections,  and  discourse  ;  they  seem  to  adjourn  the 
great  business  of  salvation  to  the  next  hour  of  devo- 
tion. If  these  professors  lose  so  much  in  their  spirit- 
ual estate  for  want  of  adjusting  and  balancing  their 
accounts,  what  then  must  we  think  of  those  who 
scarce  ever  bestow  a  serious  thought  upon  their  eter- 
nal welfare  ?  Surely,  there  is  not  any  temper  of  mind 
less  a  friend  to  the  spirit  of  religion  than  a  thought- 
less and  inconsiderate  one,  that  by  a  natural  succes- 
sion of  strong  and  vain  affections,  shuts  out  every 
tiling  useful  from  their  souls,  till  at  length  they  are 
overtaken  by  a  fatal  lethargy ;  they  lose  sight  of  all 
danger,  and  become  insensible  of  divine  convictions ; 
and,  in  consequence,  quite  disappoint  all  the  blessed 
means  of  restoration.  If,  therefore,  we  measure  the 
Holy  Spirit's  concern  at  the  sins  of  men  by  the  de- 
grees of  his  disappointment,  we  may  conclude,  that 
there  is  no  state  of  mind  that  grieves  him  more,  un- 
less that  of  actual  wickedness. 

Never  be  easy,  or  at  rest,  therefore,  if  yon  find  your 
love  to  God  flag  and  languish  ;  for  then  the  other  af- 
fections will  grow  cold  and  lifeless  in  religion.  Watch 
carefully  against  the  too  strong  attachment  of  your 
affections  to  creatures.  Remember  that  this  world  is 
at  enmity  with  God.  James,  iv.  4.  "  If  any  man  love 
the  world,  the  love  of  the  Father  is  not  in  him."  1 


THE    HEART   OF   MAN.  41 

John,  ii.  15.  Where  the  love  of  the  world  is  habitu- 
ally prevalent,  the  love  of  God  is  not  found  ;  for  God 
is  the  supreme  good,  and  the  most  lovely  of  beings, 
and  he  counts  that  love  as  nothing  which  is  not  su- 
preme. "  No  man  can  serve  two  masters,  you  cannot 
serve  God  and  mammon."  Matt.  vi.  25.  That  is  the 
true  God,  and  the  god  of  riches  ;  and  we  may  say  by 
the  same  rule,  you  cannot  love  the  true  God,  and  the 
god  of  honour  and  ambition,  or  the  god  of  sensuality 
and  carnal  pleasure.  A  God  carries  a  supreme  idea, 
and  demands  all  the  soul. 

Not  only  unlawful  objects,  and  sinful  pleasures, 
but  even  sensible  delights,  possessions,  and  enjoy- 
ments, which  are  lawful,  take  too  fast  hold  on  the 
heart,  and  draw  it  away  from  God.  Remember  that 
the  creatures  around  you  have  this  advantage,  that 
while  God  is  a  spirit,  an  unseen  being,  the  creatures 
are  ever  striking  upon  our  eyes  or  ears  ;  they  are  ever 
making  their  court  to  our  senses  and  appetites,  and 
have  a  thousand  ways  to  insinuate  themselves  into 
the  heart.  The  world,  and  the  flattering  enjoyments 
of  it,  are  suited  to  work  upon  flesh  and  blood,  and  to 
draw  off  the  soul  from  God,  its  centre  and  its  rest : 
they  are  ever  near  at  hand  on  all  occasions,  and  they 
are  ready  sometimes  to  say,  "  Where  is  your  God  V 
Keep  your  God  therefore  always  near  you,  and  watch 
against  the  pleasing  flattery  of  alluring  creatures,  lest 
your  heart  cleave  too  fast  to  them,  and  be  thereby 
divided  from  your  God. 

Reader,  is  thy  soul  in  such  a  state  as  my  picture 
represents  ?  If  so,  I  would  ask  thee  what  are  the 
causes  which  produce  this  effect  ?  Has  not  pride  had 
too  much  place  in  your  heart  ?  Have  you  not  some- 
times been  ready  to  think  yourself  possessed  of  more 
religion  than  you  really  had?  And  have  you  not 
been  in  danger  of  thinking  more  highly  of  yourself 
on  account  of  this  your  piety,  and  of  undervaluing 
others  to  the  feeding  of  your  own  vanitv  ?  Have  you 

4* 


42  REPRESENTATION   OF 

not  often  set  too  great  a  value  upon  your  person,  gifts, 
and  abilities?  Can  you  enumerate  the  vain  thoughts 
which  have  lodged  within  you  ?  Have  you  not  in 
many  things  (and  those  of  no  great  moment)  been  too 
stiff  and  opinionated  ?  Have  you  not  gloried  too 
much  in  your  friends,  relations,  and  possessions? 
Have  you  not  occasionally  made  too  splendid  a  show 
of  your  natural,  spiritual,  and  intellectual  riches  or 
gifts  ?  Has  not  finer  or  better  apparel  made  you  look 
tor  more  respect  from  others,  or  think  much  more 
highly  of  yourself?  Has  not  this  subtle  pride  mixed 
itself  with  your  secret  thoughts,  your  conversations 
with  your  friends,  and  even  your  devotional  exer- 
cises ?  To  follow  this  evil  through  all  its  aspirings, 
boastings,  inventions,  conceits,  arrogance,  and  scorn- 
fulness,  would  be  difficult  indeed.  How  true,  then,  is 
that  saying,  "  A  man's  pride  shall  bring  him  low ;" 
for  so  long  as  the  heart  is  not  purified  from  this  evil, 
it  cannot  be  advanced  high  in  the  estimation  of 
heaven  ? 

Have  you  not  felt  also  much  of  the  workings  of 
unbelief,  as  another  cause  ?  After  the  clearest  and 
most  delightful  discoveries  of  your  Redeemer's  love, 
have  you  not  been  ready  to  question  it  ?  Would  not 
something  in  your  heart,  if  submitted  to,  cause  you 
to  discredit  many  of  the  revealed  truths  of  God? 
Have  you  not  been  too  apt  to  distrust  others,  placing 
Jess  confidence  in  them  than  you  ought ;  though  you 
had  not  the  least  reason  for  so  doing?  Are  you  not 
sometimes  inclined  to  doubt  the  care  of  Divine  Provi- 
dence, and  to  fear  that  you  will  one  day  be  forgotten 
of  God  ?  Have  you  not  sometimes  been  ready  to 
question  the  being  or  attributes  of  God, — the  truth  of 
the  Christian  dispensation, — and  the  reality  of  grace 
in  your  own  heart  ? 

While  unbelief  thus  lurks  in  the  heart,  will  it  not 
produce  a  most  plentiful  crop  of  doubts,  fears,  sup- 
positions, suspenses,  unprofitable  reasonings,  fruit- 


THE    HEART    OF   MAN.  43 

less  speculations,  and  idle  and  perplexing  thoughts, 
till  the  precious  grace  of  God  is  well  nigh  choked ; 
till  peace  and  joy  have  well  nigh  taken  their  flight ; 
and  the  heart  is  filled  with  hardness,  the  tongue  with 
complainings,  and  the  life  with  unfruitf ulness  7 

Whenever  you  find  a  tempting  creature  taking  too 
fast  hold  of  your  passions,  set  a  guard  of  sacred  jea- 
lousy upon  it  ;  keep  your  heart  at  a  distance  from 
that  creature,  lest  it  twine  about  your  inmost  powers, 
and  draw  them  off  from  their  allegiance  and  duty  to 
God  your  Creator.  The  love  of  God  is  a  flower  of 
divine  original,  and  of  the  growth  of  paradise  :  if  the 
Holy  Spirit  has  planted  it  in  your  heart,  let  not  any 
other  love  be  planted  too  near  it,  nor  too  much  nour- 
ished, lest  it  draw  away  the  vital  moisture,  and  cause 
the  love  of  God  to  languish  and  wither. 

Depth  of  mercy  !  can  there  be 
Mercy  still  reserv'd  for  me  1 
Can  my  God  his  wrath  forbear  1 
Me,  the  chief  of  sinners  spare  1 

I  have  long  withstood  his  grace  ; 
Long  provok'd  bim  to  his  face  ; 
Would  not  hearken  to  his  calls  ; 
Griev'd  him  by  a  thousand  falls. 

Kindled  his  relentings  are, 
Me  he  now  delights  to  spare  ; 
Cries,  "  How  shall  I  give  thee  up  V 
Lets  the  lifted  thunder  drop. 

There  for  me  the  Saviour  stands, 
Shows  his  wounds  and  spreads  his  hands  ; 
God  is  love  !  I  know,  I  teel ! 
Jesus  weeps,  and  loves  me  still. 

Jesus,  answer  from  above, 
Is  not  all  thy  nature  love  1 
Wilt  thou  not  the  wrong  forget  7 
Suffer  me  to  kiss  thy  feet  1 

Now  incline  me  to  repent ! 
Let  me  now  my  fall  lament  t 
Now  my  foul  revolt  deplore  ! 
fc  ;  m        Weep,  believe,  and  sin  no  more. 


44  REPRESENTATION   OF 


FIGURE  VIII. 

Picture  of  the  heart  of  a  person  who  after  his  conversion 
has  backslidden  from  God,  and  suffers  Satan  to  reign  in 
him. 

This  heart  cannot  be  better  described  than  in  our 
Lord's  own  words  :  "  When  the  unclean  spirit  is  gone 
out  of  a  man,  he  walketh  through  dry  places,  seeding 
rest,  and  rinding  none,  he  saith,  I  will  return  unto  my 
house  whence  I  came  out.  And  when  he  cometh,  he 
findeth  it  swept  and  garnished.  Then  goeth  he,  and 
taketh  to  him  seven  other  spirits  more  wicked  than 
himself;  and  they  enter  in,  and  dwell  there :  and  the 
last  state  of  that  man  is  worse  than  the  first.  Luke, 
xi.  24,  25,  26.  Also,  in  the  words  of  St.  Peter  :  For 
if  after  they  have  escaped  the  pollution  of  the  world 
through  the  knowledge  of  the  Lord  and  Saviour  Je- 
sus Christ,  they  are  again  entangled  therein,  and 
overcome,  the  latter  end  is  worse  with  them  than  the 
beginning.  For  it  had  been  better  for  them  not  to 
have  known  the  way  of  righteousness,  than  after  they 
have  known  it,  to  turn  from  the  holy  commandment 
delivered  unto  them.  But  it  is  happened  unto  them 
according  to  the  true  proverb,  The  dog  is  turned  to 
his  own  vomit  again ;  and,  The  sow  that  was  washed, 
to  her  wallowing  in  the  mire.  2  Pet.  ii.  20,  21,  22. 

The  Holy  Spirit  is  grieved,  and  has  departed,  the 
angel  is  about  withdrawing,  and  with  clasped  and 
uplifted  hands  he  cries,  "  How  shall  I  give  thee 
up." 

This  man  did  receive  the  "  heavenly  gift."  He  did 
"  taste  of  the  powers  of  the  world  to  come."  He  saw 
"  the  light  of  the  glory  of  God,  in  the  face  of  Jesus 
Christ."    The  "  peace  which  passeth  all  understand- 


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,>/  y/,>y     ,//>,:>/.  //    Mvyr   /■,■//<■/■  //<>/  /,>//,  /ir  /.-/nnr/t 

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,-f//////r///, ////,///    //'////■/////'///   it.      ///.V  /'/"/». '/■<■/ /'/',//>/•   //ttKff  ir/ro 

■    ,  //,  v-  ,■////,//,/,■//,;/  &A<ivt'  fas  tot  //'<■  */!>(**/  mmt  >.>/'  (rt%f  &//tf 
of't/tt'  //'"///  to  t'ot/tt'  //'//v  7 '.>•///// />'///  mi't/y,  fa'/v/tru' //tt'/tt 


/./.'..VmMi 


THE    HEART    OF    MAN.  45 

ing,"  did  rule  his  heart  and  mind ;  and  the  love  of 
God  was  shed  abroad  therein  by  the  Holy  Ghost, 
which  was  given  unto  him."  Yet  he  is  now  weak 
as  another  man.  He  again  relishes  the  things  of 
earth,  and  has  more  taste  for  the  things  which  are 
seen,  than  for  those  which  are  not  seen.  The  eye  of 
his  understanding  is  closed  again,  so  that  he  cannot 
"see  Him  that  is  invisible."  His  love  is  waxed  cold, 
and  the  peace  of  God  no  longer  rules  in  his  heart. 
And  no  marvel ;  for  he  again  has  given  place  to  the 
Devil,  and  grieved  the  Holy  Spirit  of  God.  He  has 
turned  again  unto  folly,  to  some  pleasing  sin,  if  not  in 
outward  act,  yet  in  heart.  He  has  given  place  to 
pride,  anger,  self-will,  or  stubbornness.  He  did  not 
stir  up  the  gift  of  God  which  was  in  him ;  he  gave 
way  to  spiritual  sloth,  and  would  not  be  at  the  pains 
of  "  praying  always,  and  watching  thereunto  with  all 
perseverance."  That  is,  he  made  shipwreck  of  the 
faith,  for  want  of  self-denial,  and  "  taking  up  his  cross 
daily." 

How  often  do  the  cares  of  common  life  crowd  out 
his  duties  !  Ah !  many  a  time  the  hour  of  prayer 
arrives — and  passes  onward,  the  witness  of  his  neg- 
lect. The  slightest  pretext  satisfies  his  offended 
conscience,  and  justifies  his  conduct  to  himself.  The 
eye  of  vigilance  is  closed,  the  adversary  approaches 
imperceived,  and  the  well-laid  snare  entangles  his 
unsuspecting  feet.  He  seldom  retires  from  the  busy 
world  to  shut  himself  up  in  the  though  tfalness  of 
holy  meditation.  The  "law  of  the  Lord"  is  not  his 
"  delight :"  it  is  not  his  "  meditation  all  the  day." 
Alas !  his  careless  eye  seldom  rests  on  its  sacred  page : 
it  lies  by,  neglected  and  forgotten,  and  is  made  to 
yield  its  place  to  the  frothy  productions  of  sinful  men. 
If  he  reads,  it  is  not  that  its  truths  may  probe  his 
heart;  that  its  promises  may  strengthen  his  faith  ;  or 
that  the  glorious  prospects  which  it  opens,  may  glad- 
den and  encourage  his  soul.     He  practises  not  those 


46  REPRESENTATION   OP 

lessons  of  ennobling  charity  which  it  teaches.     His 
feet  pursue  not  those  paths  which  lead  to  the  abodes 
of   sorrow :  he  visits   not  the   "  fatherless  and  the 
widow  in  their  affliction :"   he   becomes  no  angel 
of  mercy  to  the  sick  and  dying.    His  fertile  heart  in- 
vents the  ready  and  specious  excuse,  and  the  neglect 
of  these  imperious  duties  gives  him  no  remorse.     In 
his  own  dwelling  there  is  no  family  devotion,  no 
family  instruction,  though  his  children  are  perishing 
through  "lack  of  knowledge  :"  the  love  of  this  world 
has  led  his  captive  feet  with  ease  into  the  fowler's 
snare.    Oh  !  what  an  opiate  to  his  soul  to  lull  it  into 
the  deep  sleep  of  spiritual  death!     What  a  leaden 
weight  to  his  faith,  to  drag  it  clown  from  God  !    What 
a  darkening  veil,  to  hide  with  fatal  success  from  his 
eyes,  every  soul-cheering  glory  of  the  heavenly  world. 
Reader,  is  the  above  a  description  of  thy  character 
before  God  ?  If  so,  "  arise,  thou  sleeper,  and  call  on 
thy  God/'  repent,  and  confess  thy  sins  before  him, 
and  forsake  the  same,  and  through  the  merits  of  Christ 
thou   mayest  find  mercy,  in  the  forgiveness  of  thy 
sins,  and  in  the  healing  of  thy  backslidings,  so  thou 
mayest  again  be  restored  to  what  thy  soul  has  lost. 
"  His  arm  is  not  shortened  that  it  cannot  save,  neither 
is  his  ear  heavy,  that  it  cannot  hear ;  he  is  stronger 
than  all  your  enemies  ;  he  can  bind  them,  and  cast 
them  out,  and  set  you  at  perfect  liberty  again." 

Ah  !  where  am  I  now  1 

When  was  it,  or  how, 
That  I  fell  from  my  heaven  of  grace  1 

I  am  brought  into  thrall ; 

I  am  stript  of  my  all; 
I  am  banislvd  from  Jesus's  face  ! 

Hardly  yet  do  I  know 

How  I  let  my  Lord  go, 
So  insensibly  starting  aside  ; 

When  the  tempter  came  in 

With  his  own  subtle  sin, 
And  infected  my  spirit  Avith  pride. 


THE   HEART   OP   MAN.  4? 

But  I  felt  it  too  soon, 

That  my  Saviour  was  gone, 
Swiftly  vanishing  out  of  my  sight ; 

My  triumph  and  boast 

On  a  sudden  were  lost, 
And  my  day  it  was  turn'd  into  night. 

Only  pride  could  destroy 

That  innocent  joy, 
And  make  my  Redeemer  depart ; 

But  whate'er  was  the  cause, 

I  lament  the  sad  loss, 
For  the  veil  has  come  over  my  heart. 

Ah  !  wretch  that  I  am  ! 

I  can  only  exclaim, 
Like  a  devil  tormented  within  : 

My  Saviour  is  gone, 

And  has  left  me  alone 
To  the  fury  of  Satan  and  sin. 

Nothing  now  can  relieve ; 

Without  comfort  I  grieve  ; 
I  have  lost  all  my  peace  and  my  power: 

No  access  do  I  find 

To  the  friend  of  mankind ; 
I  can  ask  for  his  mercy  no  more. 

Tongue  cannot  declare 

The  torment  I  bear, 
(While  no  end  of  my  troubles  I  see  ;) 

Only  Adam  could  tell 

On  the  day  that  ne  fell, 
And  was  turned  out  of  Eden  like  me. 

Driven  out  from  my  God, 

I  wander  abroad, 
Through  a  desert  of  sorrows  I  rove : 

How  great  is  my  pain 

That  I  cannot  regain 
My  Eden  of  Jesus's  love  ! 

I  never  shall  rise 

To  my  first  paradise, 
Or  come  my  Redeemer  to  see  ; 

But  I  feel  a  faint  hope, 

That  at  last  he  will  stoop, 
And  his  pity  shall  bring  him  to  me. 


43  REPRESENTATION  OP 


FIGURE  IX. 

Picture  of  the  heart  of  a  person  whose  passions  are  sub- 
jected by  Philosophy. 

In  this  heart  is  represented,  by  the  figures  being 
chained,  that  this  man  has  his  passions  in  subjection, 
at  his  control,  and  trusting  his  philosophy  will  pass 
him  to  heaven  and  happiness  for  ever;  the  Dove, 
signifying  the  Holy  Spirit,  is  hovering  about  his 
heart,  and  calling  on  him  to  give  it  up  to  God. 

Philosophy  is  indeed  the  noblest  stretch  of  intellect 
which  God  has  vouchsafed  to  man ;  and  it  is  only 
when  man  forgets  that  he  received  his  reasoning 
powers  from  God,  that  he  is  in  danger  of  losing  him- 
self in  darkness  when  he  sought  for  light.  To  mea- 
sure that  which  is  infinite,  is  as  impossible  in  meta- 
physics as  in  physics.  If  it  had  not  been  for  revela- 
tion, we  should  have  known  no  more  of  the  Deity 
than  the  Heathen  Philosophers  knew  before  :  and  to 
what  did  their  knowledge  amount  ?  They  felt  the 
necessity  of  a  First  Cause,  and  they  saw  that  that 
Cause  must  be  intrinsically  good ;  but  when  they 
came  to  systems,  they  never  went  further  than  the 
point  from  which  they  first  set  out,  that  evil  is  not 
good,  and  good  is  not  evil.  The  Gnostics  thought  to 
secure  the  triumph  of  their  scheme  by  veiling  its 
weaker  points  in  mystery,  and  by  borrowing  a  pari 
from  almost  every  system.  But  popular,  and  even 
successful  as  this  attempt  may  have  been,  we  may 
say  with  truth,  that  the  scheme  which  flattered  the 
vanity  of  human  wisdom,  and  which  strove  to  con- 
ciliate all  opinions,  has  died  away,  and  is  forgotten ; 
while  the  Gospel,  the  unpresuming,  the  uncompro- 
mising doctrine  of  the  Gospel,  aided  by  no  human 


JK>9. 


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t\yt(irA:r\u,//tn,t'  Av'/stV/et/    ///.r,iv  Atrvt'  ///  f/tif/t'  /ttr/ft/ ',jv  s/t/r//  /ft' 

(//'If//    ///    .)■/>/•/■/' 1 1'.  "        /.<,;//',///   ,7(K  //. 


7'nnrti  fir  ZA'.Si,,//// . 


THE    HEART    OF   MAN.  49 

wisdom,  and  addressing  itself  not  merely  to  the  head, 
but  to  the  heart,  has  triumphed  over  all  systems  and 
all  philosophers  ;  and  still  leads  its  followers  to  that 
true  knowledge  which  some  have  endeavoured  to 
teach  "  after  the  tradition  of  men,  after  the  rudiments 
of  the  world,  and  not  after  Christ."  The  apostle  con- 
demns this  philosophy,  1st.  because  it  is  empty  and 
deceitful,  "promising  happiness,  but  giving  none." 
2d.  Because  it  was  grounded,  not  on  solid  reason,  but 
the  traditions  of  men,  Zeno,  Epicurus,  and  the  rest : 
and,  3d.  Because  it  was  shallow  and  superficial,  not 
advancing  beyond  the  knowledge  of  sensible  things  ; 
no,  not  beyond  the  first  rudiments  of  them. 

Also  when  he  came  to  Athens,  he  there  found  Epi  - 
curean  and  Stoic  Philosophers,  who  made  a  jest  of  his 
discourses  :  and  no  wonder,  seeing  they  placed  the 
chief  happiness  in  pleasure,  and  denied  the  providence 
of  God.  Actsxvii,18.  As  to  the  effects  of  Christianity, 
they  have  been  and  still  are  considerable,  and  afford 
at  least  a  collateral  proof  of  the  superiority  and  excel- 
lence of  the  system.  Destitute  of  all  human  advan- 
tages, protected  by  no  authority,  assisted  by  no  art ; 
not  recommended  by  the  reputation  of  its  authors, 
not  enforced  by  eloquence  in  its  advocates,  the  word 
of  God  grew  mightily,  and  prevailed.  Twelve  men, 
poor,  artless,  and  illiterate,  we  behold  triumphing 
over  the  fiercest  and  most  determined  opposition  ; 
over  the  tyranny  of  the  magistrate,  and  the  subtleties 
of  the  philosopher ;  over  the  prejudice  of  the  Gentile, 
and  the  bigotry  of  the  Jew. 

The  religion  of  Jesus  trampled  over  the  philosophy 
of  the  world,  the  arguments  of  the  subtle,  the  dis- 
courses of  the  eloquent,  the  power  of  princes,  the  in- 
terest of  states,  the  inclination  of  nature,  the  blindness 
of  zeal,  the  force  of  custom,  the  solicitation  of  pas- 
sions, the  pleasure  of  sin,  and  the  busy  arts  of  the 
devil. 

Reader !  God,  the  glorious  maker  and  supporter  of 
5 


50  REPRESENTATION   OF 

all  things,  by  whose  providence  we  are  sustained, 
and  by  whose  grace  we  are  redeemed,  is  the  only  God 
we  should  acknowledge  and  worship  ;  he  alone  is  to 
be  feared,  loved,  honoured,  and  obeyed ;  and  all  other 
beings,  in  heaven,  earth,  or  hell,  are  to  be  considered 
as  nothing,  and  totally  disregarded,  in  comparison 
with  him.  And  the  worship  we  pay  him  must  not  be 
dead,  formal,  and  hypocritical ;  but  sincere,  fervent, 
spiritual,  grateful,  and  such  as  he  requires  in  his  holy 
word.  All,  therefore,  who  forget,  neglect,  despise,  and 
hate  him ;  all  who  forsake  his  ordinances,  and  refuse 
to  pray  to  him,  to  praise  and  love  him ;  all  who  offer 
him  mere  lip-service,  and  draw  near  to  him  in  per- 
son, while  their  heart  is  far  from  him ;  all  who  neg- 
lect to  read  or  he?r  his  holy  word,  that  they  may 
know  his  will  and  do  it ;  and  all  who  do  not  give 
their  hearts  to  him,  are  breakers  of  his  command- 
ments. And  now  I  leave  you  to  judge  whether  you 
are  guilty  or  not  guilty. 

My  gracious,  loving  Lord, 

To  thee  what  shall  I  say  1 
Well  may  I  tremble  at  thy  word, 

And  scarce  presume  to  pray  ! 

Yet,  Lord,  well  might  I  fear, 

Fear  e'en  to  ask  thy  grace  ; 
So  oft  have  I,  alas  !  drawn  near, 

And  mock'd  thee  to  thy  face  : 

Nigh  with  my  lips  I  drew  ; 

My  lips  were  all  unclean  : 
Thee  with  my  heart  I  never  knew; 

My  heart  was  full  of  sin  : 

Far  from  the  living  Lord, 

As  far  as  hell  from  heaven  ; 
Thy  purity  I  still  abhorr'd, 

Nor  look'd  to  be  forgiven 

My  nature  I  obey'd  ; 

My  own  desires  pursu'd  : 
And*  still  a  den  of  thieves  I  made 

The  hallow'd  house  of  God. 

In  fig  leaves  I  appear'd; 

Nor  with  my  form  would  pait , 
But  still  retain'd  a  conscience  sear'd, 

A  hard,  deceitful  heart. 


DIRECTIONS 


KEEPING    THE    HEART 


Keep  thy  heart  with  all  diligence,  for  out  of  it  arc  the 
issues  of  life. — Prov.  iv.  23. 

The  heart  of  man  is  his  worst  part  before  it  be 
regenerated,  and  the  best  afterwards  ;  it  is  the  seat  of 
principles,  and  the  fountain  of  actions.  The  eye  of 
God  is,  and  the  eye  of  the  Christian  ought  to  be, 
principally  fixed  upon  it. 

The  greatest  difficulty  in  conversion  is,  to  win  the 
heart  to  God ;  and  the  greatest  difficulty  after  conver- 
sion is,  to  keep  the  heart  with  God.  Here  lies  the  very 
force  and  stress  of  religion  ;  here  is  that  which  makes 
the  way  to  life  a  narrow  way,  and  the  gate  of  hea- 
ven a  straight  gate.  To  keep  the  heart,  necessarily 
supposes  a  previous  work  of  grace,  which  has  set  the 
heart  right,  by  giving  it  a  new  spiritual  inclination  ; 
for  as  long  as  the  heart  is  not  set  right  by  grace,  as 
to  its  habitual  frame,  no  means  can  keep  it  right  with 
Ofrd.  Self  is  the.  poise  of  the  unregenerated  heart, 
which  biases  and  moves  it  in  all  its  designs  and  ac- 
tions ;  and  as  long  as  it  is  so,  it  is  impossible  that  any 
external  means  could  keep  it  with  God. 

Man,  by  creation,  was  of  one  constant,  uniform 
frame  of  spirit,  held  one  straight  and  even  course  ; 
not  one  thought  or  faculty  was  disordered  ;  his  mind 
had  a  perfect  knowledge  of  the  requirements  of  God ; 
his  will  a  perfect  compliance  therewith  ;  all  his  appe- 
tites and  powers  stood  in  a  most  obedient  subordina- 
tion. 


52  DIRECTIONS    FOR 

Man,  by  degeneration,  is  become  a  most  disordered 
and  rebellious  creature,  opposing  his  Maker,  as  the 
First  Cause,  by  self-dependance ;  as  the  Chief  Good, 
by  self-love  ;  a's  the  Highest  Lord,  by  self-will ;  and 
as  the  Last  End,  by  self-seeking.  Thus  he  is  quite 
disordered,  and  all  his  actions  are  irregular.  His 
once  illuminated  understanding  is  now  clouded  with 
ignorance ;  his  once  complying  will  is  now  full  of 
rebellion  and  stubbornness  ;  his  once  subordinate 
powers,  have  now  cast  off  the  dominion  of  the  supe- 
rior faculties.  But,  by  regeneration  this  disordered 
soul  is  set  aright  again  ;  sanctification  being,  as  the 
Scripture  expresses  it,  the  renovation  of  the  soul  after 
the  image  of  God,  in  which  self-dependance  is  re- 
moved by  faith  ;  self-love,  by  the  love  of  God ;  self- 
ivill,  by  subjection  and  obedience  to  the  will  of  God ; 
and  self-seeking,  by  self-denial.  The  darkened  un- 
derstanding is  again  illuminated,  the  refractory  will 
sweetly  subjected,  the  rebellious  appetite  gradually 
conquered.  Thus  the  soul  which  sin  had  universally 
depraved,  is  by  grace  restored.  This  being  pre-sup- 
posed,  it  will  not  be  difficult  to  apprehend  what  it  is 
to  keep  the  heart,  which  is  nothing  but  the  constant 
care  and  diligence  of  such  a  renewed  man,  to  pre- 
serve his  soul  in  that  holy  frame  to  which  grace  has 
raised  it.  For  though  grace  has,  in  a  great  measure, 
rectified  the  soul,  and  given  it  an  habitual  heavenly 
temper,  yet  sin  often  actually  discomposes  it  again  ; 
so  that  even  a  gracious  heart  is  like  a  musical  instru- 
ment, which,  though  it  be  exactly  tuned,  a  small  mat- 
ter brings  it  out  of  tune  again  ;  yea,  hang  it  aside  but 
a  little,  and  it  will  need  setting  again  before  another 
lesson  can  be  played  upon  it.  If  gracious  hearts  are 
in  a  desirable  frame  in  one  duty,  yet  how  dull,  dead, 
and  disordered,  when  they  come  to  another  !  There- 
fore,, every  duty  needs  a  particular  preparation  of  the 
heart.  u  If  thou  prepare  thine  heart  and  stretch  out 
thine  hands  towards  him,"  &c.     To  keep  the  heart, 


KEEPING   THE    HEART.  53 

then,  is  carefully  to  preserve  it  from  sin,  which  disor- 
ders it :   and  maintain  that  spiritual  and  gracious 
frame,  which  fits  it  for  a  life  of  communion  with  God. 
This  includes  in  it  six  particulars. 

I.  Frequent  observation  of  the  frame  of  the  heart. 
Carnal  and  formal  persons  take  no  heed  to  this  ;  they 
cannot  be  brought  to  confer  with  their  own  hearts  : 
there  are  some  people  who  have  lived  forty  or  fifty 
years  in  the  world,  and  have  had  scarcely  one  hour's 
discourse  with  their  own  hearts.  It  is  a  hard  thing 
to  bring  a  man  and  himself  together  on  such  busi- 
ness ;  but  saints  know  those  soliloquies  to  be  very 
salutary.  The  heathen  could  say,  "  The  soul  is  made 
wise  by  sitting  still  in  quietness."  Though  bankrupts 
care  not  to  look  into  their  books  of  account,  yet  up- 
right hearts  will  know  whether  they  go  backward  or 
forward.  u  I  commune  with  mine  own  heart,"  says 
David.  The  heart  can  never  be  kept  until  its  case 
be  examined  and  understood. 

II.  It  includes  deep  humiliation  for  heart  evils  and 
disorders ;  thus  Hezekiah  humbled  himself  for  the 
pride  of  his  heart.  Thus  the  people  were  ordered  to 
spread  forth  their  hands  to  God  in  prayer,  realizing 
the  plague  of  their  own  hearts.  Upon  this  account 
many  an  upright  heart  has  been  laid  low  before  God  ; 
O  what  a  heart  have  I.  Saints  have,  in  their  confes- 
sion, pointed  at  the  heart,  the  painful  place  :  "  Lord, 
here  is  the  wound."  It  is  with  the  heart  well  kept  as 
it  is  with  the  eye  ;  if  a  small  dust  get  into  the  eye,  it 
will  never  cea.se  twinkling  and  watering  till  it  has 
wept  it  out :  so  the  upright  heart  cannot  be  at  i*est 
till  it  has  wept  out  its  troubles  and  poured  out  its 
complaints  before  the  Lord. 

III.  It  includes  earnest  supplication  and  instant 
prayer  for  purifying  and  rectifying  grace,  when  sin 
has  disordered  and  defiled  the  heart.  "  Cleanse  thou 
me  from  secret  faults."  "  Unite  my  heart  to  fear  thy 
name."     Saints  have  always   many  such  petitions 

5* 


54 


DIRECTIONS    FOR 


depending  before  the  throne  of  God's  grace ;  this  is 
the  thing  which  is  most  pleaded  by  them  with  God. 
When  they  are  praying  for  outward  mercies,  perhaps 
their  spirits  may  be  more  remiss  ;  but  when  it  comes 
to  the  heart's  case,  they  extend  their  spirits  to  the 
utmost,  fill  their  mouths  with  arguments,  weep  and 
make  supplication  :  "  O  for  a  better  heart !  O  for  a 
heart  to  love  God  more  !  to  hate  sin  more  ;  to  walk 
more  evenly  with  God.  Lord,  deny  not  to  me  such  a 
heart,  whatever  thou  deny  me :  give  me  a  heart  to 
fear  thee,  to  love  and  delight  in  thee,  if  I  beg  my 
bread  in  desolate  places." 

"  O  for  a  heart  to  praise  ray  God, 

A  heart  from  sin  set  free ; 
A  heart  that  always  feels  thy  blood, 

So  freely  spilt  for  me." 

It  is  observed  of  an  eminent  saint,  that  when  he 
was  confessing  sin,  he  would  never  give  over  confess- 
ing until  he  had  felt  some  brokenness  of  heart  for 
that  sin  ;  and  when  praying  for  any  spiritual  mercy, 
would  never  give  over  that  suit,  till  he  had  obtained 
some  relish  of  that  mercy. 

IV.  It  includes  the  imposing  of  strong  engagements 
upon  ourselves  to  walk  more  carefully  with  God,  and 
avoid  the  occasions  whereby  the  heart  may  be  in 
duced  to  sin.  Well  advised  and  deliberate  vows,  are, 
in  some  cases,  very  useful  to  guard  the  heart  against 
some  special  sin.  "  I  have  made  a  covenant  with 
mine  eyes,"  says  Job.  By  this  means  holy  men  have 
overawed  their  souls  and  preserved  themselves  from 
defilement  by  some  special  heart  corruptions. 

V.  It  includes  a  constant  and  holy  jealousy  over 
our  own  hearts.  Q,uick-sighted  self-jealousy  is  an 
excellent  preservative  from  sin.  He  that  will  keep 
his  heart,  must  have  the  eyes  of  the  soul  awake,  and 
open  upon  all  the  disorderly  and  tumultuous  stirrings 
of  his  affections  ;  if  the  affections  break  loose,  and  the 
passions  be  stirred,  the  soul  must  discover  itj  and 


KEEPING   THE    HEART.  55 

suppress  them  before  they  get  to  a  height.  "  0  my 
soul,  dost  thou  well  in  this  ?  My  tumultuous  thoughts 
and  passions,  where  is  your  commission?"  Happy  is 
the  man  that  thus  feareth  always.  By  this  fear  of  the 
Lord  it  is  that  men  depart  from  evil,  shake  off  secu- 
rity, and  preserve  themselves  from  iniquity.  He  that 
will  keep  his  heart,  must  eat  and  drink  with  fear,  re- 
joice with  fear,  and  pass  the  whole  time  of  his  so- 
journing here  in  fear.  All  this  is  little  enough  to 
keep  the  heart  from  sin. 

VI.  It  includes  the  realizing  of  God's  presence 
with  us,  and  setting  the  Lord  always  before  us.  This 
the  people  of  God  have  found  a  powerful  means  of 
keeping  their  hearts  upright,  and  awing  them  from 
sin.  When  the  eye  of  our  faith  is  fixed  upon  the  eye 
of  God's  omniscience,  we  dare  not  let  out  our 
thoughts  and  affections  to  vanity.  Holy  Job  durst  not 
surfer  his  heart  to  yield  to  an  impure,  vain  thought ; 
and  what  was  it  that  moved  him  to  so  great  circum- 
spection ?  He  tells  us,  "doth  not  he  see  my  ways, 
and  count  all  my  steps  ?" 

In  such  particulars  as  these,  do  gracious  souls  ex- 
press the  care  they  have  of  their  hearts.  They  are 
careful  to  prevent  the  breaking  loose  of  the  corrup- 
tions in  time  of  temptation  ;  careful  to  preserve  the 
sweetness  and  comfort  they  have  got  from  God  in 
any  duty.  This  is  the  work,  and  of  all  works  in  reli- 
gion it  is  the  most  difficult,  constant,  and  important 
work. 

1st.  It  is  the  hardest  work.  Heart-work  is  hard 
work  indeed.  To  shuffle  over  religious  duties  with  a 
loose  and  heedless  spirit,  will  cost  no  great  pains ; 
but  to  set  thyself  before  the  Lord,  and  tie  up  thy  loose 
and  vain  thoughts  to  a  constant  and  serious  attend- 
ance upon  him  ;  this  will  cost  thee  something.  To 
attain  a  facility  and  dexterity  of  language  in  prayer, 
and  put  thy  meaning  into  apt  and  decent  expressions, 
is  easy;  but  to  get  thy  heart  broken  from  sin,  while 


56  DIRECTIONS   FOR 

thou  art  confessing  it ;  melted  with  free  grace  while 
thou  art  blessing  God  for  it ;  to  be  really  ashamed 
and  humbled  through  the  apprehension  of  God's  in- 
finite holiness,  and  to  keep  thy  heart  in  this  frame, 
not  only  in  but  after  duty,  will  surely  cost  thee  some 
groans  and  pains  of  soul.  To  repress  the  outward 
acts  of  sin,  and  compose  the  external  part  of  thy  life 
in  a  laudible  manner,  is  no  great  matter ;  even  carnal 
persons,  by  the  force  of  common  principles,  can  do 
this  :  but  to  kill  the  root  of  corruption  within,  to  set 
and  keep  up  a  holy  government  over  thy  thoughts, 
to  have  all  things  lie  straight  and  orderly  in  the 
heart,  this  is  not  easy. 

2d.  It  is  a  constant  work.  The  keeping  of  the 
heart  is  a  work  that  is  never  done  till  life  be  ended. — 
There  is  no  time  or  condition  in  the  life  of  a  Chris- 
tian, which  will  suffer  an  intermission  of  this  work. 
It  is  in  keeping  watch  over  our  hearts,  as  it  was  in 
keeping  up  Moses'  hands,  while  Israel  and  Amalek 
were  fighting.  No  sooner  do  the  hands  of  Moses 
grow  heavy  and  sink  down,  than  Amalek  prevails. 
Intermitting  the  watch  over  their  own  hearts  for  but 
a  few  minutes,  cost  David  and  Peter  many  a  sad  day 
and  night. 

3d.  It  is  the  most  important  business  of  a  Chris- 
tian's life.  Without  this  Ave  are  but  formalists  in 
religion  :  all  our  professions,  gifts,  and  duties,  signify 
nothing.  "  My  son,  give  me  thine  heart,"  is  God's 
request.  God  is  pleased  to  call  that  a  gift,  which  is 
indeed  a  debt ;  he  will  put  this  honour  upon  the  crea- 
ture, to  receive  it  from  him  in  the  way  of  a  gift ;  but 
if  this  be  not  given  him,  he  regards  not  whatever  else 
you  bring  to  him.  There  is  only  so  much  of  worth 
in  what  we  do  as  there  is  of  heart  in  it.  Concerning 
the  heart,  God  seems  to  say,  as  Joseph  of  Benja- 
min, "  If  you  bring  not  Benjamin  with  you,  you  shall 
not  see  my  face." 

Among  the  heathen,  when  the  beast  was  cut  up 


KEEPING    THE    HEART.  57 

for  sacrifice,  the  first  thing  the  priest  looked  upon, 
was  the  heart,  and  if  that  was  unsound  and  worth- 
less, the  sacrifice  was  rejected.  God  rejects  all  duties 
(how  glorious  soever  in  other  respects)  which  are  of- 
fered him  without  a  heart.  He  that  performs  duty 
without  a  heart,  that  is,  heedlessly,  is  no  more  ac- 
cepted with  God  than  he  that  performs  it  with  a 
double  heart,  that  is  hypocritically. 

If  the  keeping  of  the  heart  be  so  important  a  busi- 
ness ;  if  such  great  advantages  result  from  it ;  if  so 
many  valuable  interests  be  wrapt  up  in  it,  then  let  me 
call  upon  the  people  of  God  every  where  to  engage 
heartily  in  this  work.  O  study  your  hearts,  watch 
your  hearts,  keep  your  hearts  !  away  with  fruitless 
controversies,  and  all  idle  questions ;  away  with 
empty  names  and  vain  shows  ;  away  with  unprofit- 
able discourse,  and  bold  censures  of  others  :  turn  in 
upon  yourselves  ;  get  into  your  closets,  and  resolve 
to  dwell  there.  You  have  been  strangers  to  this  work 
too  long ;  you  have  kept  other  vineyards  too  long ; 
you  have  trifled  about  the  borders  of,  religion  too 
long ;  this  world  has  beguiled  you,  and  kept  you  from 
your  great  business  too  long  ; — will  you  now  resolve 
to  look  better  to  your  hearts  ? — will  you  now  hasten 
out  of  the  confusion  of  business  and  the  clamours  of 
the  world,  and  retire  yourselves  more  than  you  have 
done?  O  that  this  day,  this  hour,  you  would  resolve 
upon  doing  so  ! 

Sequester  yourself  from  all  earthly  employments, 
and  set  apart  some  time  for  solemn  preparation  to 
meet  God  in  duty.  You  cannot  come  directly  from 
the  world  into  God's  presence,  without  finding  a  sa- 
vour of  the  world  in  your  duties.  It  is  with  the  heart 
(a  few  minutes  since  plunged  in  the  world,  now  in 
the  presence  of  God)  as  it  is  with  the  sea  after  a 
storm,  which  still  continues  working,  muddy  and 
disquiet,  though  the  wind  be  laid  and  the  storm  be 
over.     Your  heart  must  have  some  time  to  settle. 


58  DIRECTIONS    FOR 

Few  musicians  can  take  an  instrument  and  play 
upou  it  without  some  time  and  labour  to  tune  it ;  few 
Christians  can  say  with  David,  "  My  heart  is  fixed, 
O  God,  it  is  fixed."  When  you  go  to  God  in  any  duty, 
take  your  heart  aside  and  say,  "  O,  my  soul,  I  am 
now  engaged  in  the  greatest  work  that  a  creature 
was  ever  employed  about ;  I  am  going  into  the  awful 
presence  of  God,  upon  business  of  everlasting  mo- 
ment. O,  my  soul,  leave  trifling  now ;  be  composed, 
be  watchful,  be  serious  :  this  is  no  common  work,  it 
is  soul-work ;  it  is  work  for  eternity  ;  it  is  work  which 
will  bring  forth  fruit  to  life  or  death  in  the  world  to 
come."  Pause  awhile — and  consider  your  sins,  your 
wants,  your  troubles  ;  keep  your  thoughts  awhile  on 
these,  before  you  address  yourself  to  duty.  David 
first  mused,  and  then  spake  with  his  tongue. 

If  you  would  keep  your  heart  from  vain  excursions, 
when  engaged  in  duties,  realize  to  yourself,  by  faith, 
the  holy  and  awful  presence  of  God.  If  the  presence 
of  a  grave  man  would  compose  you  to  seriousness,  how 
much  more  should  the  presence  of  a  holy  God  ?  Do 
you  think  that  you  would  dare  to  be  gay  and  light, 
if  you  realized  the  presence  and  inspection  of  the 
Divine  Being  ?  Remember  where  you  are,  when  en- 
gaged in  religious  duty,  and  act  as  if  you  believed  in 
the  omniscience  of  God.  "  All  things  are  naked  and 
open  to  the  eyes  of  Him  with  whom  we  have  to  do." 
Realize  his  infinite  holiness,  his  purity,  his  spirit- 
uality. 

When  you  come  from  an  exercise  in  which  your 
heart  has  been  wandering  and  listless,  what^an  you 
say?  Suppose  all  the  vanities  and  impertinences 
which  have  passed  through  your  mind  during  a  de- 
votional exercise,  were  written  down,  and  interlined 
with  your  petitions,  could  you  have  the  face  to  pre- 
sent them  to  God  ?  Should  your  tongue  utter  all  the 
thoughts  of  your  heart  when  attending  the  worship 
of  God,  would   not  men  abhor    you?    Yet    your 


KEEPING   THE   HEART.  59 

thoughts  are  perfectly  known  to  God.  O  think  upon 
this  Scriptuie  :  "  God  is  greatly  to  be  feared  in  the 
assemblies  of  his  saints,  and  to  be  had  in  reverence 
of  all  them  that  are  round  about  him."  Why  did  the 
Lord  descend  in  thunderings,  and  lightnings,  and 
dark  clouds  upon  Sinai  ?  Why  did  the  mountains 
smoke  under  him,  the  people  quake  and  tremble 
round  about  him,  Moses  himself  not  excepted?  but  to 
teach  the  people  this  great  truth :  "  Let  us  have  grace, 
whereby  we  may  serve  Him  acceptably  with  reve- 
rence and  godly  fear,  for  our  God  is  a  consuming  tire.'' 
Such  apprehensions  of  the  character  and  presence  of 
God,  will  quickly  reduce  a  heart  inclined  to  vanity 
to  a  more  serious  frame. 

Maintain  a  prayerful  frame  of  heart  in  the  inter- 
vals of  duty.  What  reason  can  be  assigned  why  our 
hearts  are  so  dull,  so  careless,  so  wandering,  when  we 
hear  or  pray,  but  that  there  have  been  long  intermis- 
sions in  our  communion  with  God  ?  If  that  divine 
unction,  that  spiritual  fervour  and  those  holy  impres- 
sions which  we  obtain  from  God,  while  engaged  in 
the  performance  of  one  duty,  were  preserved  to  en- 
liven and  engage  us  in  the  performance  of  another, 
they  would  be  of  incalculable  service  to  keep  our 
hearts  serious  and  devout.  For  this  purpose,  fre- 
quent ejaculations  between  stated  and  solemn  duties, 
are  of  most  excellent  use.  They  not  only  preserve 
the  mind  in  a  composed  and  pious  frame,  but  they 
connect  one  stated  duty  as  it  were  with  another,  and 
keep  the  attention  of  the  soul  alive  to  all  its  interests 
and  obligations. 

If  you  would  have  the  distraction  of  your  thoughts 
prevented,  endeavour  to  raise  your  affections  to  God, 
and  to  engage  them  warmly  in  your  duty.  When  the 
soul  is  intent  upon  any  work,  it  gathers  in  its  strength 
and  bends  all  its  thoughts  to  that  work  :  and  when  it 
is  deeply  affected,  it  will  pursue  its  object  with  in- 
tenseness,  the  affections  will  gain  an  ascendancy  over 


60  DIRECTIONS   FOE 

the  thoughts,  and  guide  them.  But  deadness  causes 
distraction,  and  distraction  increases  deadness.  Could 
you  but  regard  your  duties  as  the  medium  in  which 
you  might  walk  in  communion  with  God :  in  which 
your  soul  might  be  rilled  with  those  ravishing  and 
matchless  delights  which  his  presence  affords,  you 
might  have  no  inclination  to  neglect  them.  But  if 
you  would  prevent  the  recurrence  of  distracting 
thoughts,  if  you  would  find  your  happiness  in  the 
performance  of  duty,  you  must  not  only  be  careful 
that  you  engage  in  what  is  your  duty,  but  labour 
with  patient  and  persevering  exertion  to  interest  your 
feelings  in  it.  Why  is  your  heart  so  inconstant,  espe- 
cially in  secret  duties  7  Why  are  you  ready  to  be 
gone,  almost  as  soon  as  you  are  come  into  the  pre- 
sence of  God,  but  because  your  affections  are  not  en- 
gaged ? 

When  you  are  disturbed  by  vain  thoughts,  humble 
yourself  before  God,  and  call  in  assistance  from  hea- 
ven. When  the  messenger  of  Satan  buffeted  St.  Paul, 
by  wicked  suggestions,  (as  is  supposed)  he  mourned 
before  God  on  account  of  it.  Never  slight  wandering 
thoughts  in  duty  as  small  matters  ;  follow  every  such 
thought  with  a  deep  regret.  Turn  to  God  with  such 
words  as  these  :  "  Lord  I  came  hither  to  commune 
with  thee,  and  here  a  busy  adversary  and  a  vain 
heart,  conspiring  together,  have  opposed  me.  O  my 
God  !  what  a  heart  have  I !  Shall  I  never  wait  upon 
thee  without  distraction  ?  When  shall  I  enjoy  an  hour 
of  free  communion  with  thee  ?  Grant  me  thy  assist- 
ance at  this  time  ;  discover  thy  glory  to  me,  and  my 
heart  will  quickly  be  recovered.  I  came  hither  to 
enjoy  thee,  and  shall  I  go  away  without  thee  ?  Be- 
hold my  distress,  and  help  me  !'  Could  you  but  suffi- 
ciently bewail  your  distractions,  and  repair  to  God 
for  deliverance  from  them,  you  would  gain  relief. 

Reader,  methinks  I  shall  prevail  with  you.  All  that 
I  beg  for  is  this,  that  you  would  step  aside  oftener  to 


KEEPING    THE    HEART.  61 

talk  with  God  and  your  own  heart ;  that  you  would 
not  suffer  every  trifle  to  divert  you  :  that  you  would 
keep  a  more  true  and  faithful  account  of  your 
thoughts  and  affections ;  that  you  would  seriously 
demand  of  your  own  heart,  at  least  every  evening, 
';  O  my  heart,  where  hast  thou  been  to-day  ?  and 
what  has  engaged  thy  thoughts  ? 

If  all  that  has  been  said  by  way  of  inducement,  be 
not  enough.  I  have  yet  some  motives  to  offer  you. 

I.  The  studying,  observing,  and  diligently  keeping 
your  own  heart,  will  surprisingly  help  you  to  under- 
stand the  deep  mysteries  of  religion.  An  honest,  well- 
experienced  heart  is  an  excellent  help  to  a  weak 
head.  Such  a  heart  will  serve  for  a  commentary  on 
a  great  part  of  the  Scriptures.  By  means  of  such  a 
heart,  you  will  have  a  better  understanding  of  divine 
things  than  the  most  learned  (graceless)  man  ever 
had,  or  can  have  ?  you  will  not  only  have  a  clearer 
but  a  more  interesting  and  profitable  apprehension  of 
them.  A  man  may  discourse  orthodoxly  and  pro- 
foundly, of  the  nature  and  effects  of  faith,  the  troubles 
and  comforts  of  conscience,  and  the  sweetness  of 
communion  with  God,  who  never  felt  the  eflicacy 
and  sweet  impression  of  these  things  upon  his  own 
soul.  But  how  dark  and  dry  are  his  notions,  com- 
pared with  those  of  an  experienced  Christian.  When 
a  Christian,  whose  heart  has  been  disciplined  and 
kept,  reads  David's  Psalms  and  Paul's  epistles,  he  there 
finds  his  own  objections  made  and  answered. — • 
"  These  holy  men,"  saith  he,  "speak  my  very  heart ; 
their  doubts  are  mine,  their  troubles  mine  ;  their  ex- 
periences mine."  Experience  is  the  best  schoolmaster; 
O  then  study,  and  keep  your  heart. 

II.  The  study  and  observation  of  your  own  heart, 
will  powerfully  secure  you  against  the  dangerous  and 
infecting  errors  of  the  times,  and  the  place  in  which 
you  live. 

III.  Your  care  and  diligence  in  keeping  your  heart, 

6 


62  DIRECTIONS    FOR 

will  prove  one  of  the  best  evidences  of  your  sincerity. 
I  know  no  external  act  of  religion,  which  truly  dis- 
tinguishes the  sound  from  the  unsound  professor.  It 
is  marvellous  fyow  far  hypocrites  go  in  all  external 
duties,  how  plausibly  they  can  order  the  outward 
man,  hiding  all  their  indecencies  from  the  observa- 
tion of  the  world.  Bat  they  take  no  heed  to  their 
hearts  ;  they  are  not  in  secret  what  they  appear  to  be 
in  public  ;  and  before  this  test  no  hypocrite  can  stand. 
They  may,  indeed,  in  a  fit  of  terror,  or  on  a  death- 
bed, cry,  out  of  the  wickedness  of  their  hearts  ;  but 
such  extorted  complaints  are  worthy  of  no  regard. 
No  credit,  in  law,  is  to  be  given  to  the  testimony  of 
one  upon  the  rack,  because  it  may  be  supposed  that 
the  extremity  of  his  torture  will  make  him  say  any 
thing  to  get  relief.  Now,  if  self-jealousy,  care,  and 
watchfulness  be  the  daily  workings  and  frame  of 
your  heart,  you  have  daily  evidence  of  your  sincerity  : 
for  what  but  an  apprehension  of  the  divine  presence, 
and  a  real  hatred  of  sin  on  its  own  account,  could 
engage  you  in  these  secret  exercises  ?  If,  then,  it  be 
a  desirable  thing  in  your  estimation,  to  have  a  fair 
evidence  of  your  integrity,  a  reasonable  ground  of 
hope  that  you  fear  God,  then  inspect  and  keep  your 
heart  with  all  diligence. 

IV.  How  comfortable  and  how  profitable  would  all 
ordinances  and  duties  be  to  you,  if  your  heart  was 
faithfully  kept.  What  lively  communion  might  you 
have  with  God,  every  time  you  approach  him,  if  your 
heart  was  in  a  right  frame.  You  might  then  say  with 
David,  "  My  meditation  of  him  shall  be  sweet."  It  is 
the  indisposition  of  the  heart  which  renders  ordi- 
nances and  secret  duties  so  comfortless  to  some. 
They  strive  to  raise  their  hearts  to  God,  now  press- 
ing this  argument  upon  them,  then  that,  to  quicken 
and  affect  them  ;  yet  they  often  get  nearly  through 
the  exercise  before  their  hearts  begin  to  be  interested 
in  it  j  and  sometimes  they  go  away  no  better  than 


KEEPING    THE    HEART.  63 

they  came.  But  the  Christian  whose  heart  is  pre- 
pared, by  being  constantly  kept,  enters  immediately 
and  heartily  into  his  duties  ;  he  outstrips  his  sluggish 
neighbour,  gets  the  first  sight  of  Christ  in  a  sermon, 
the  first  seal  from  Christ  in  a  sacrament,  the  first 
communication  of  grace  and  love  in  secret  prayer. 
Let  me  tell  you,  that  prayers  and  sermons  would  ap- 
pear to  be  very  different  things  from  what  they  do 
ordinarily,  if  they  were  attended  to  with  hearts  which 
have  been  kept.  You  would  not  go  away  dejected, 
and  drooping,  and  lamenting,  "  O  this  has  been  a  lost 
day,  a  lost  duty  to  me,"  if  you  had  not  first  lost  your 
heart.  Now  if  there  be  any  thing  valuable  and  com- 
fortable in  ordinances  and  private  duties,  look  to  your 
hearts  and  keep  them,  I  beseech  you. 

Y.  An  acquaintance  with  your  own  heart,  will 
furnish  you  a  fountain  of  matter  in  prayer.  The  man 
who  is  diligent  in  heart- work,  will  be  richly  supplied 
with  matter  in  his  addresses  to  God.  He  will  not  be 
confused  for  want  of  thought ;  his  tongue  will  not 
falter  for  want  of  expressions.  Others  must  pump 
their  memories,  rack  their  inventions,  and  have  their 
attentions  wholly  swallowed  up  in  finding  something 
to  say ;  and  after  all  make  out  miserably. 

When  a  heart-experienced  Christian  is  mourning 
before  God  for  some  special  corruption,  or  wrestling 
with  God  for  the  supply  of  some  special  want,  he 
speaks  not  as  those  do  who  have  learned  to  pray  by 
rote;  their  confessions  and  petitions  are  forced  out — 
his  flow  freely  and  feelingly.  And  it  is  a  happiness  to 
be  with  or  near  such  a  Christian. 

VI.  The  most  desirable  thing  in  the  world,  viz. 
the  revival  of  religion  among  professors,  may  be 
effected  by  means  of  what  I  am  urging  upon  you . 

O  that  I  might  see  the  time  when  professors  shall 
not  walk  in  a  vain  show ;  when  they  shall  please 
themselves  no  more  with  a  name  to  live,  while  they 
are  spiritually  dead  ;  when  they  shall  be  no  more  a 


64  DIRECTIONS   FOR 

company  of  frothy,  vain  persons  ;  but  when  holiness 
shall  shine  in  their  conversation,  and  awe  the  world, 
and  command  reverence  from  all  that  are  round  them; 
when  they  shall  warm  the  hearts  of  those  who  come 
near  them,  and  cause  it  to  be  said,  God  is  in  these 
men  of  a  truth.  And  may  such  a  time  be  expecied  ? 
Until  heart-work  becomes  the  business  of  professors,  I 
have  no  hope  of  seeing  a  time  so  blessed  !  Does  it 
not  grieve  you  to  see  how  religion  is  contemned  and 
trampled  underfoot,  and  the  professors  of  it  ridiculed 
and  scorned  in  the  world  ?  Professors,  would  you 
recover  your  credit  ?  would  you  obtain  an  honoura- 
ble testimony  in  the  consciences  of  your  enemies  ? 
Then  keep  your  hearts.  It  is  the  looseness,  frothi- 
ness,  and  earthliness  of  your  hearts,  that  has  made 
your  lives  so  unsuitable  and  useless ;  this  has  pro- 
cured you  the  disrespect  and  contempt  of  the  world  ; 
this  has  banished  your  serious  and  heavenly  deport- 
ment among  men,  and  destroyed  your  influence  over 
their  consciences.  For  the  honour  of  religion  and  of 
your  profession,  then,  keep  your  hearts. 

VII.  By  diligence  in  keeping  our  hearts,  we  should 
prevent  the  occasions  of  fatal  scandals  and  stumbling 
blocks  to  the  world.  Wo  to  the  world  "because  of 
oifences  !  Does  not  shame  cover  your  faces,  do  not 
your  hearts  even  bleed  within  you  to  hear  of  the 
scandalous  miscarriages  of  many  loose  professors  ! 
How  is  "  that  worthy  name"  blasphemed  !  How  are 
the  hearts  of  the  truly  righteous  wounded  !  By  these 
things  the  world  are  prejudiced  against  Christ  and 
the  gospel ;  those  who  have  a  sort  of  liking  to  the 
ways  of  religion,  are  startled  and  driven  back  ;  the 
the  bonds  of  death  are  made  fast  upon  others,  and 
thus  the  blood  of  souls  is  shed  !  The  consciences  of 
fallen  professors  are  plunged  and  overwhelmed  in 
the  deeps  of  trouble  ;  their  souls  are  debarred  the 
comfort  of  fellowship  with  Christ,  and  all  the  joys  of 
his  salvation  are  refused  them.  Indeed,  the  mischiefs 


KEEPING    THE    HEART.  65 

which  result  from  the  scandalous  lives  of  professors, 
are  almost  infinite.  And  all  this  because  they  neglect 
their  hearts.  What  words  then  can  express  the 
amazing  importance  of  keeping  the  heart !  Every- 
thing seems  to  unite  in  making  it  necessary  and  mo- 
mentous. Christians,  what  will  you  do  ?  Will  you 
keep  your  hearts  ?  Will  you  engage  in  this  work,  or 
lose  all  the  comforts  of  religion  ?  Will  you  do  this,  or 
lose  your  characters  ?  Will  you  do  it,  or  ruin  your 
souls  ? 

VIII.  Keep  your  heart  faithfully,  and  you  will  be 
prepared  for  any  situation  or  service  to  which  you 
may  be  called.  This,  and  this  only,  can  properly  tit 
you  for  usefulness  in  any  station  ;  but  with  this,  you 
can  endure  prosperity  or  adversity ;  you  can  deny 
yourself,  and  turn  your  hand  to  any  work.  Thus 
Paul  turned  every  circumstance  to  good  account,  and 
made  himself  eminently  useful.  When  he  preached 
to  others,  he  provided  against  being  cast  away  him- 
self; he  kept  his  heart.  And  every  thing  in  which 
he  excelled,  seems  to  have  had  a  close  connexion  with 
his  diligence  in  keeping  his  heart. 

IX.  If  the  people  of  God  would  diligently  keep 
their  hearts,  their  communion  with  each  other  would 
be  unspeakably  more  inviting  and  profitable.  Then, 
"  How  goodly  would  be  thy  tents,  O  Jacob,  and  thy 
tabernacles,  O  Israel !:'  It  is  the  fellowship  which  the 
people  of  God  have  with  the  Father  and  with  the 
Son,  that  kindles  the  desires  of  others  to  have  com- 
munion with  them.  I  tell  you,  if  saints,  would  be 
persuaded  to  spend  more  time,  and  take  more  pains 
about  their  hearts,  there  would  soon  be  such  a  divine 
excellence  in  their  conversation,  that  others  would 
account  it  no  small  privilege  to  be  with  or  near  them. 
It  is  the  pride,  passions,  and  earthliness  of  our  hearts, 
that  has  spoiled  Christian  fellowship.  WThy  is  it,  that 
when  Christians  meet,  they  are  often  jarring  and 
contending,  but  because  their  passions  are  unmorti- 

6* 


66  DIRECTIONS    FOR 

fied  1  Whence  come  their  uncharitable  censures  01 
their  brethren,  but  from  their  ignorance  01  them- 
selves ?  Why  are  they  so  rigid  and  unfeeling  towards 
those  who  have  fallen,  but  because  they  do  not  feel 
their  own  weakness  and  liability  to  temptation  1 
Why  is  their  discourse  so  light  and  unprofitable  when 
they  meet,  but  because  their  hearts  are  earthly  and 
vain  1  My  brethren,  these,  and  similar  things  are 
what  have  spoiled  Christian  fellowship,  and  made 
it  so  dry  and  disgusting,  that  even  many  Chris- 
tians are  weary  of  it ;  and  therefore,  they  seek  in 
retirement,  that  happiness  which  the  society  of  saints 
was  designed  to  afford.  But  now,  if  Christians 
would  study  their  hearts  more,  and  keep  them  better, 
all  this  would  be  prevented ;  and  the  beauty  and 
glory  of  communion  would  be  restored.  They  would 
divide  no  more,  contend  no  more,  censure  rashly  no 
more  :  when  their  hearts  are  kept,  their  tongue  will 
not  go  loose.  They  will  feel  right,  one  towards  ano- 
ther, when  each  is  daily  humbled,  under  a  sense  of 
the  evil  of  his  own  heart.  May  God  hasten  the  state 
of  things  which  I  desire,  and  for  which  I  plead,  and 
may  these  counsels  have  some  good  effect. 

You  have  seen  that  the  keeping  of  the  heart  is  the 
great  work  of  a  Christian,  in  which  the  very  soul  and 
life  of  religion  consists,  and  without  which,  all  other 
duties  are  of  no  value  in  the  sight  of  God.  Hence,  to 
the  consternation  of  hypocrites  and  formal  professors, 
I  infer, 

1.  That  the  pains  and  labours  which  many  persons 
have  undergone  in  religion,  are  of  no  value,  and  will 
turn  to  no  good  account.  Many  splendid  services  have 
been  performed  by  men,  which  God  will  utterly  re- 
ject ;  they  will  not  stand  on  record  in  order  to  an 
eternal  acceptance,  because  the  performers  took  no 
heed  to  keep  their  hearts  with  God.  This  is  that  fatal 
rock  on  which  thousands  of  vain  professors  dash  and 
ruin  themselves  eternally ;  they  are  exact  about  the 


KEEPING   THE   HEART.  67 

externals  of  religion,  but  regardless  of  their  hearts, 
O  how  many  hours  have  some  professors  spent  in 
hearing,  praying,  reading,  and  conferring  !  and  yet, 
as  to  the  main  end  of  religion,  they  might  as  well 
have  sat  still  and  done  nothing  ;  the  great  work,  I 
mean  heart-work,  being  all  the  while  neglected.  Tell 
me,  vain  professor,  when  did  you  shed  a  tear  for  the 
deadness,  hardness,  unbelief  or  earthliness  of  your 
heart.  And  do  you  think  your  easy  religion  can  save 
you  ?  If  so,  you  must  invert  Christ's  words,  and  say, 
Wide  is  the  gate  and  broad  is  the  viay,  that  leadeth 
to  life,  and  many  there  be  that  go  in  thereat !  Hear 
me,  ye  self  deluding  hypocrite  ;  you,  who  have  put 
off  God  with  heartless  duties  ;  you,  who  have  acted 
in  religion  as  if  you  had  been  blessing  an  idol ;  you, 
who  could  not  search  your  heart,  and  regulate  it,  and 
exercise  it  in  your  performances  ;  how  will  you  abide 
■<he  coming  of  the  Lord  ?  How  will  you  hold  up  your 
head  before  him,  when  he  shall  say,  "  O  you  dissem- 
bling, false-hearted  man  !  how  could  you  profess  re- 
ligion ?  With  what  face  could  you  so  often  tell  me 
that  you  love  me,  when  you  knew  in  your  conscience, 
that  your  heart  was  not  with  me  V  O  tremble  to 
think  what  a  fearful  judgment  it  is  to  be  given  over 
to  a  heedless  and  careless  heart,  and  then  to  have 
religious  duties,  instead  of  a  rattle,  to  quiet  and  still 
the  conscience ! 

2.  I  infer  for  their  humiliation,  that  unless  the 
people  of  God  spend  more  time  and  pains  about  their 
hearts  than  they  ordinarily  do,  they  are  never  like  to 
do  God  much  service,  or  to  possess  much  comfort  in 
this  world.  I  may  say  of  that  Christian  who  is  re- 
miss and  careless  in  keeping  his  heart,  as  Jacob  said 
of  Reuben,  Thou  shalt  not  excel.  It  grieves  me  to  see 
how  many  Christians  there  are  who  live  at  a  poor, 
low  rate,  both  of  service  and  comfort,  and  who  go  up 
and  down  dejected  and  complaining.  But  how  can 
they  expect  it  to  be  otherwise  while  they  live  so  care- 


6S  DIRECTIONS    FOR 

lessly  ?  O  how  little  of  their  time  is  spent  in  the  closet, 
in  searching,  humbling-,  and  quickening  their  hearts  ! 
Christian,  you  say  your  heart  is  dead,  and  do  you 
wonder  that  it  is,  so  long  as  you  keep  it  not  with  the 
fountain  of  life  T  If  your  body  had  been  dieted  as 
your  soul  has,  that  would  have  been  dead  too.  And 
you  may  never  expect  that  your  heart  will  be  in  a 
better  state  until  you  take  more  pains  with  it. 

O  Christians  !  I  fear  your  zeal  and  strength  have 
run  in  the  wrong  channel ;  I  fear  the  most  of  us  may 
take  up  the  Church's  complaint :  "  They  have  made 
me  the  keeper  of  the  vineyards,  but  mine  own  vine- 
yard have  I  not  kept."  Two  things  have  eaten  up  the 
time  and  strength  of  the  professors  of  this  generation, 
and  sadly  diverted  them  from  heart-work : 

First : — Fruitless  controversies,  started  by  Satan, 
I  doubt  not,  for  the  very  purpose  of  taking  us  off  from 
practical  godliness :  to  make  us  puzzle  our  heads, 
when  we  should  be  inspecting  our  hearts.  How  little 
have  we  regarded  the  observation,  "  It  is  a  good  thing 
that  the  heart  be  established  with  grace  and  not  with 
meats,"  (that  is,  with  disputes  and  controversies  about 
meats,) "  which  have  not  profited  them  that  have  been 
occupied  therein."  How  much  better  it  is  to  see  men 
live  exactly,  than  to  hear  them  dispute  with  subtlety. 
These  unfruitful  questions,  how  have  they  rended 
the  churches,  wasted  time  and  spirits,  and  taken 
Christians  off  from  then  main  business  7  What  think 
you,  would  it  not  have  been  better  if  the  questions 
agitated  among  the  people  of  God  of  late  had  been 
such  as  these  :  How  shall  a  man  distinguish  the  spe- 
cial from  the  common  operations  of  the  Spirit  ?  How 
may  a  soul  discern  its  first  declinings  from  God  ?  How 
may  a  backsliding  Christian  recover  his  first  love  ? 
How  may  the  heart  be  preserved  from  unreasonable 
thoughts  in  duty?  How  may  a  bosom  sin  be  disco- 
vered and  mortified  ?  &c.  Would  not  this  course  have 
tended  more  to  the  honour  of  relierion  and  the  comfort 


KEEPING    THE    HEART.  69 

of  souls  1  I  am  ashamed,  that  the  professors  of  this 
generation  are  yet  insensible  of  their  folly.  You  have 
come  to  what  your  ministers  long  since  expected,  and 
warned  you  of;  and  what  will  be  the  event  ?  I  call 
on  you  to  repent.  O  that  God  would  turn  your  dis- 
putes and  contentions  into  practical  godliness  ! 

Second : — Worldly  cares  and  incumbrances,  have 
greatly  increased  the  neglect  of  our  hearts.  The 
heads  and  hearts  of  multitudes  have  been  filled  with 
such  a  crowd  and  noise  of  worldly  business,  that  they 
have  lamentably  declined  in  their  zeal,  their  love, 
their  delight  in  God,  and  their  heavenly,  serious  and 
profitable  way  of  conversing  with  men.  How  miser- 
ably have  we  entangled  ourselves  in  this  wilderness 
of  trifles.  Our  discourses,  our  conferences,  nay,  our 
very  prayers  are  tinged  with  it.  We  have  had  so 
much  to  do  without,  that  we  have  been  able  to  do 
but  little  within.  And  how  many  precious  opportuni- 
ties have  we  thus  lost  ?  How  many  admonitions  of 
the  Spirit  have  passed  over  unfruitfully  ?  How  often 
has  the  Lord  called  to  us,  when  our  worldly  thoughts 
have  prevented  us  from  hearing  ?  But  there  certainly 
is  a  way  to  enjoy  God  even  in  our  worldly  employ- 
ments. If  we  lose  our  views  of  him  when  engaged  in 
our  temporal  affairs,  the  fault  is  our  own.  Alas  !  that 
Christians  should  stand  at  the  door  of  eternity,  hav- 
ing more  work  upon  their  hands  than  their  time  is 
sufficient  for,  and  yet  be  filling  their  heads  and  hearts 
with  trifles  ! 

Third : — I  infer  lastly,  for  the  awakening  of  all, 
that  if  the  keeping  of  the  heart  be  the  great  work  of 
a  Christian,  then  there  are  but  few  real  Christians  in 
the  world.  If  every  one  who  has  learned  the  dialect 
of  Christianity,  and  who  can  talk  like  a  saint ;  if 
every  one  who  has  gifts  and  parts,  and  who  c_  i  make 
shift  to  preach,  pray  or  discourse  like  a  Christian ;  in 
a  word,  if  all  such  as  associate  with  the  people  of 
God,  and  partake  of  ordinances,  may  pass  for  Chris- 


70  KEEPING   THE    HEART. 

tiaiiSj  then  indeed  the  number  is  great.  But  alas  !  how 
few  can  be  found,  if  you  judge  them  by  this  rule — how 
few  are  there  who  conscientiously  keep  their  hearts, 
watch  their  thoughts,  and  look  scrupulously  to  their 
motives  !  Indeed  there  are  few  closet-men  among  pro- 
fessors !  It  is  easier  for  men  to  be  reconciled  to  any 
other  duties  in  religion  than  to  these.  The  profane 
part  of  the  world  will  not  so  much  as  meddle  with  the 
outside  of  any  religious  duties,  and  least  of  all  with 
these  ;  and  as  the  hypocrite,  though  he  may  be  very 
particular  in  externals,  you  can  never  persuade  him 
to  undertake  this  inward,  this  difficult  work ;  this 
work  to  which  there  is  no  inducement  from  human 
applause;  this  work  which  would  quickly  discover 
what  the  hypocrite  cares  not  to  know :  so  that  by 
general  consent,  this  heart-work  is  left  to  the  hands  of 
a  few  secret  ones  ;  and  I  tremble  to  think  in  how  few 
hands  it  is. 

Lastly : — Keep  your  heart,  and  then  the  comforts 
of  the  Spirit  and  the  influence  of  all  ordinances  will 
be  more  fixed  and  lasting  than  they  now  are.  Could 
you  keep  those  things  constantly  in  your  heart  what 
a  Christian  you  would  be, — what  a  life  you  would 
live !  And  how  is  it  that  these  things  remain  no  longer 
with  you  ?  Doubtless  it  is  because  you  suffer  your 
heart  to  grow  cold  again.  But  why  do  you  not  pre- 
vent-this  ?  Why  do  you  not  keep  your  heart?  " Do 
the  consolations  of  God  seem  small  to  you  ?"  Ah,  you 
have  reason  to  be  ashamed  that  the  ordinances  of 
God,  as  to  their  quickening  and  comforting  effects, 
should  make  so  light  and  transient  an  impression  on 
your  heart. 

Now,  reader,  consider  well  these  special  benefits  of 
keeping  the  heart  which  I  have  mentioned.  Examine 
their  importance.  Are  they  small  matters?  Is  it  a 
small  matter  to  have  your  understanding  assisted  ? 
Your  endangered  soul  rendered  safe  ?  your  sincerity 
proved?    your  communion   with   God  sweetened? 


KEEPING   THE    HEART.  71 

yoUiT  heart  filled  with  matter  for  prayer?  Is  it  a  small 
thing  to  have  the  power  of  godliness  again  recovered? 
all  fatal  scandals  removed  ?  and  instrumental  fitness 
to  serve  Christ  obtained?  the  communion  of  saints 
restored  to  its  primitive  glory?  the  rejoicing  ever- 
more, praying  without  ceasing,  and  in  every  thing 
giving  thanks?  and  the  influence  of  ordinances 
abiding  in  the  souls  of  saints  ?  If  these  are  no  com- 
mon blessings,  no  ordinary  benefits,  then  surely  it  is 
a  great  and  indispensable  duty  to  keep  the  heart  with 
all  diligence. 

Finally  : — Are  you  inclined  to  undertake  the  busi- 
ness of  keeping  your  heart  ?  Are  you  resolved  upon 
it?  I  charge  yon,  then,  to  engage  in  it  earnestly. 
Away  with  every  cowardly  feeling,  and  make  up 
your  mind  to  encounter  difficulties.  Draw  your  ar- 
mour from  the  word  of  God.  Let  the  word  of  Christ 
dwell  in  you  richly,  in  its  commands,  its  promises,  its 
threatenings  ;  let  it  be  fixed  in  your  understanding, 
your  memory,  your  conscience,  your  affections.  You 
must  learn  to  wield  the  sword  of  the  Spirit  (which  is 
the  word  of  God)  familiarly,  if  you  would  defend 
your  heart  and  conquer  your  enemies.  You  must 
call  yourself  frequently  to  an  account ;  examine  your- 
self as  in  the  presence  of  the  all-seeing  God  :  bring 
your  conscience,  as  it  were,  to  the  bar  of  judgment. 
Beware  how  you  plunge  yourself  into  a  multiplicity 
of  worldly  business ;  how  you  practice  upon  the 
maxims  of  the  world  ;  and  how  you  venture  at  all  to 
indulge  your  depraved  propensities.  You  must  exer- 
cise the  utmost  vigilance  to  discover  and  check  the 
first  symptoms  of  departure  from  God,  the  least  de- 
cline of  spirituality,  or  the  least  indisposition  to  medi- 
tation by  yourself,  and  holy  conversation  and  fellow- 
ship with  others.  These  things  you  must  undertake 
in  the  strength  of  Christ,  with  invincible  resolution 
in  the  outset.  And  if  you  thus  engage  in  this  great 
work,  be  assured  you  shall  not  spend  your  strength 


72  DIRECTIONS,    &C. 

for  naught ;  comforts  which  you  never  felt  or 
thought  of,  will  flow  in  upon  you  from  every  side. 
The  diligent  prosecution  of  this  work  will  constantly 
afford  you  the  most  powerful  excitements  to  vigi- 
lance and  ardour  in  the  life  of  faith,  while  it  increases 
your  strength  and  wears  out  your  enemies.  And* 
when  you  have  kept  your  heart  with  a}\  diligence,  a 
little  while  ;  when  you  have  fought  the  battles  of  this 
spiritual  warfare,  gained  the  ascendancy  over  the 
corruptions  within,  and  vanquished  the  enemy  with- 
out, then  God  will  open  the  gate  of  heaven  to  you, 
and  give  you  the  portion  whicii  is  promised  to  them 
that  overcome.  Awake,  then,  this  moment ;  get  the 
world  under  your  feet ;  pant  not  for  the  things  which 
a  man  may  have  and  eternally  lose  his  soul ; — but 
bless  God  that  you  may  have  his  service  here,  and 
the  glory  hereafter  which  he  appoints  to  the  faithful. 
"  Now  the  God  of  peace,  that  brought  again  from 
the  dead  our  Lord  Jesus,  that  great  Shepherd  of  the 
sheep,  through  the  blood  of  the  everlasting  covenant, 
make  you  perfect  in  every  good  work  to  do  his  will ; 
working  in  you  that  which  is  well  pleasing  in  his 
sight,  through  Jesus  Christ :  to  whom  be  glory  for 
ever  and  ever.  Amen? 


THE    END, 


